28 March 2024, 22:20
By Furniture News Jul 26, 2017

Retailers encouraged to fly the flag for British beds

Bed retailers should encourage consumers to buy British-made beds and mattresses this summer, says the National Bed Federation (NBF).

“With summer remaining one of the key sales periods in the bed and furniture shop calendar, it’s important for retailers to educate consumers on the best manufactured beds out there,” says Simon Williams, marketing manager at the NBF.

“British bed making is a thriving industry, with more than 100 manufacturers making beds across the length and breadth of Britain - many of them NBF Approved members. We have a long history of producing the best beds in the world, and British manufacturers are among the most innovative producers – which many consumers may not be aware of.”

Helping retailers flag up British-made beds, a free marketing toolkit is available on the NBF website, which includes a special version of The Sleep Council logo with a Union Jack face that can help consumers quickly identify a bed made in Britain.

Simon continues: “We’ve also designed a new infographic for use on social media plus a poster that can be printed to various sizes. All this can be downloaded free of charge from the NBF website, under the ‘Trade’ Marketing Support section.

“Retailers should also be making consumers aware that British beds are among the safest in the world, complying with stringent safety regulations and standards. To direct customers to beds that are safe, clean and honest, retailers should always display the correct and most up-to-date NBF Approved logo, on beds manufactured by NBF Approved members. This is an extra assurance mark to further protect the consumer.”

According to the NBF, this assurance mark has never been so important, due to the increasing number of online sellers and door-to-door mattress salesmen preying on the unsuspecting and often vulnerable customer.

“There has been an increasing number of rogue traders offering what appear to be heavily discounted mattresses - often claiming to use high spring counts and deep layers of filling when in fact, they are manufactured with cheaper materials without undergoing any necessary testing,” continues Simon.

“This is why it is so important to educate consumers to look for reputable brands made by National Bed Federation (NBF) Approved members. This also goes for any bed or mattress bought online. The advice we often give to consumers is that they may be cheaper and more convenient but there are drawbacks to not being able to see and touch items. If a consumer is still unsure, retailers can steer them towards the NBF website to check the list of British, NBF Approved Manufacturers.”

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