In November’s issue, Furniture News celebrated the winners of the 2025 NBF Bed Industry Awards in a comprehensive feature, and asked each what the win meant for them, and how they planned to make the most of it. Here are the winners' views on the wider trade …
What’s the biggest challenge facing your business?
Nick Collard (Bensons for Beds): Our mantra has been to focus on the things in our own control, and whilst every year will present challenges, I remain confident in our ability to deliver on those elements of our plan that are in our gift to deliver.
Like most retailers, our concerns centre on those factors impacting both our market and the wider retail landscape more generally. I have never known an environment where so much increased cost pressure has been put on retailers, which is an industry at the forefront of creating opportunities and wealth for UK plc.
Our hope remains that Government policy and other initiatives become more focused on helping us and other retailers do we do best – drive innovation, offer great value to customers, and create opportunities for colleagues, rather than piling on further pressures.
Mark Baron (John Cotton Nonwovens): One of the biggest challenges currently facing our business, and the wider UK bedding industry, is the growing presence of non-compliant mattress imports. These products often enter the market without meeting the strict flame-retardant and safety standards that all UK manufacturers are legally required to follow. This not only creates an uneven playing field for responsible, compliant producers like John Cotton, but also poses a real risk to consumer safety.
We’re continuing to work closely with the NBF and our retail partners to raise awareness of this issue and champion higher standards across the industry, ensuring that safety, quality and compliance remain at the forefront of every product sold.
Louis Mitchell (The M6 Bed Warehouse): One of the biggest challenges we face is simply not having enough showroom space to display all the beds we want to! Rising costs and increasingly discerning customers mean we must continually ensure our ranges remain competitive in a tough marketplace. Maintaining long-lasting, strong relationships with our key suppliers is crucial in helping us navigate these challenges and continue delivering the quality, choice and service our customers expect.
Andrew Kerry (Mattressman): Like many in retail, we’ve had to manage stock and delivery delays, so we’ve really focused on improving our logistics and planning to keep our bestselling ranges in stock and available. Consumer behaviour is also changing rapidly – balancing online growth with a strong in-store experience is always a challenge, but it’s one we’re embracing, with smarter systems and more flexibility.
Martin Seeley (MattressNextDay): We've had a lot of growth in recent years. Balancing growth with sustainability and efficiency is a constant challenge, but one we’re fully committed to meeting head-on!
Mark Tuley (Sealy UK): While we clearly face the same challenges as other manufacturers in our industry – the tough market and ever-increasing cost pressures – we also have some unique challenges as we continue to grow as a business.
Our manufacturing facility in Aspatria will have to evolve and grow with us. There is work ongoing to ensure this can happen, but this obviously brings its own challenges. We’ll also want to work closely with our valued suppliers to make sure they can also keep pace with our planned expansion and growth, in 2026 and beyond.
Greg Flynn (The Vita Group): Like many in the sector, our biggest challenge is balancing cost pressures with maintaining the quality and service standards our customers have grown to expect. Supply chain volatility and fluctuating input costs remain a key factor of course, but our focus is on managing these pressures without compromising reliability or craftsmanship.
And today’s bed industry in general?
Nick Collard (Bensons for Beds): The sector has been through some challenging times, from Covid to the cost of living crisis and just the general economic environment, all of which we know have impacted confidence and volume in the sector.
Our experience has shown, however, that opportunities remain to be successful if you are focused on the customer. We consistently give a continued offer of great value for money, coupled with real advice and expertise in a category where customers really need help and support to make the right choice to get them the best night’s sleep possible.
The sector is also a real test case for the power of physical retail. Whilst our online channel is an important part of our customer journey, the store experience (where we can deploy the skills and expertise of our colleagues to support our customers) is at the heart of our business.
Mark Baron (John Cotton Nonwovens): One of the biggest challenges facing the bedding industry today is the drive towards true circular design, creating mattresses that can be easily disassembled, recycled and reused at the end of their life.
Manufacturers should explore ways to reduce the use of glues, staples and adhesives, which currently make recycling complex and costly. Innovations such as sonic welding and other mechanical bonding techniques are showing real promise in helping components be separated more cleanly and efficiently. The challenge lies in balancing these sustainability goals with performance, comfort and cost, but it’s an essential step if the industry is to deliver genuinely sustainable sleep solutions for the future.
Louis Mitchell (The M6 Bed Warehouse): One of the key challenges in today’s bed industry is helping consumers understand the process behind creating quality products, and the many stages and people involved. In recent years, social media has often promoted beds that seem ‘too good to be true’, leaving customers with poor – and sometimes unsafe – products. Educating consumers on the technical aspects of beds is essential, both to protect them and to help develop and strengthen our industry as a whole.
Andrew Kerry (Mattressman): The industry is evolving fast. Consumer habits are shifting, technology is transforming the shopping experience, and competition from overseas continues to grow. Rising costs in the UK remain a challenge, too. The key is adaptability, understanding what customers want, offering real value and trust, and ensuring we as an industry keep promoting quality, safety and sustainability, all things the NBF stands for.
Martin Seeley (MattressNextDay): Consumers are increasingly focused on sustainability, transparency and value. The industry must adapt quickly to meet those expectations, while managing economic uncertainty and evolving retail habits. It’s a period of rapid change, but also real opportunity for those who stay agile.
Mark Tuley (Sealy UK): The bed industry itself is also facing challenges as Government changes bring potential changes to legislation. It is more than likely that any changes that come will add to the cost pressures that already exist. We hope that all the talk of the need to drive growth in the economy will see less in the way of increased cost of doing business and more in the way of support for businesses who are well positioned to invest and grow, as we are.
Greg Flynn (The Vita Group): The industry as a whole continues to navigate the cost of living pressures that are shaping consumer spending. At the same time, there’s growing demand for sustainability, transparency and genuine differentiation. Brands that can clearly demonstrate trust, value and purpose will be best placed to thrive.
This article was published in December's issue.
