The Furniture Awards are bestowed on the industry's champion suppliers at the January Furniture Show each year. Organised by Furniture News magazine in partnership with the event, the awards aim to recognise the businesses leading the way in their own product categories.
After a long absence, Sealy UK returned to the show this year on an impressive modern stand at the back of Hall 5 – front-and-centre of which was its entry, Activsleep. Initially presented at the Silentnight Group’s Brooklands show last May, the range has quickly become Sealy’s most successful launch in over a decade. Designed for a younger demographic who prioritise an active lifestyle and healthy living, the range has seen Sealy build upon its key philosophy – that the quality of one’s sleep is just as important as the quantity.
Handmade in Sealy’s factory in Cumbria, the Activsleep range combines innovative, high-quality sleep technology with some of the latest fillings, including Sealy Smart Fibres, which hold the Allergy UK seal of approval and include Purotex, which releases friendly bacteria into the fabric of the mattress to clean up allergens and reduce humidity, and Tencel, which prevents overheating.
A select number of models combine these fillings with new nanobiotic technology – a high-tech coating that transforms body heat into Far Infrared rays, which are reflected back into the body to help the sleeper feel energised and healthy, stimulating blood flow and optimising the thermoregulation of the body.
Activsleep Geltex Pocket Eurotop 2800
The new range has also seen Sealy move away from its traditional blue colour palette to a fresher green accent – alluding to Sealy’s commitment to sustainability. It was the first in the bed industry to adopt a zero-to-landfill policy, and was recently awarded Carbon Neutral status.
As part of the launch, Sealy has worked with a range of online health, fitness and wellness influencers to test the range, all of whom are now brand advocates.Traditionally associated with an older and more affluent audience, the brand has consequently expanded into new markets with the likes of Argos, Wayfair and Shop Direct.
“The bed market is more competitive than ever, and with an increasing number of manufacturers entering the market and a challenge from new mattress-in-a-box brands, it’s never been more important for traditional bed manufacturers to stand out from the crowd,” says sales and marketing director, Neil Robinson.
“Activsleep has met this challenge by offering the market something truly unique. With the health and wellbeing market booming, consumers are demanding more from their products and looking for propositions which offer the final piece in the healthy lifestyle puzzle – a good night’s sleep. Activsleep is uniquely placed to appeal to this type of consumer, offering an innovative and high-quality product which puts healthy sleep at its heart.
“The award is a massive accolade for us, coming as it does from the biggest furniture show in the UK, and from such a diverse and independent panel of judges. We will publicise this extensively – both to our retail partners and to our end consumers across social media, advertising, PR and PoS.
“This was our first attendance at the show for a decade, so we were not sure what to expect – but it exceeded our most optimistic forecasts in terms of new accounts and floor models. The fact that we were meeting and talking to a lot of furniture retailers as opposed to solus bed retailers meant that the potential audience was far bigger.
“This year, you’ll see some significant new product launches for both our core Posturepedic range, as well as our rapidly growing Activsleep range. Both will be getting increased levels of support through both digital and traditional advertising channels.”
The judges said: “Sealy’s entry looked sharp, felt good, and came at the younger, more health-aware consumer from a new angle. The whole marketing story behind Activsleep is great – from Sealy’s zero-to-landfill policy to the first-class exhibition stand on which it was displayed.
“The branding is just so well thought-through. For example, they’ve recognised that green is an emotive colour, which you see everywhere on ‘buy-it-now’ prompts and online baskets. In all respects, green means go – but it’s so easy to go OTT with it. Sealy have used it cleverly in the mattress’ piping and ticking – it’s very tasteful.”
Pictured: awards co-ordinator Paul Farley, Sealy UK sales and marketing director Neil Robinson and event director Cleere Scammel, in front of Sealy’s UK sales team
