by BASSETT, Va. — Bassett Furniture Industries is reenergizing the sofa-sleeper category with Z4, an innovative design engineered around a state-of-the-art European-style mechanism that enables smooth, easy one-person operation and results in a sofa-sleeper that is comfortable to both sit and sleep on.
According to Michael Smith, director of product development at Bassett, Z4 is a custom sleeper program that capitalizes on the company’s domestic upholstery expertise and is selling extremely well at retail. To create the ideal sleeper, Bassett offers a choice of four arm styles, four sizes of seating and three choices of cushion comfort, and bed sizes from twin to king. There are also some 250 fashionable fabrics and 50 leathers, many with performance stories, from which to choose.
“You can design this piece of furniture to fit any lifestyle and décor,” Smith said. “All of the options really differentiate Bassett from competitors in the sleeper category that at most offer one fabric in a choice of three colors.”
“It’s a very easy program to sell. It’s American-made with a well-matched price point for the quality, but the biggest win for us is that you have access to all of Bassett’s fabrics and four- to six-week turnaround time in custom upholstery,” said Olivia Tyson-Warren, sales manager at Tyson Furniture in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
That’s particularly important in Tyson Furniture’s market in the North Carolina mountains. “There is a lot of demand for better-end sleeper-sofas with the rise of second homes, retirement communities and Airbnbs,” Tyson-Warren said. “Customers tend to need fast turnaround and quick delivery and since flooring Z4, we’ve seen an immediate boost in sales.”
David Boyles, co-owner of Carolina Furniture Mart in Lincolnton, North Carolina, said, “We had 10 sleepers on the floor when we received our initial order of a king and a queen on a Friday. We sold one on Saturday, and the other on Monday, and that was all the convincing I needed. People are looking for this product, its flexibility and the custom fabric and arm choices. It’s easy to deliver and because you can unbolt it, you can get Z4 into a wide range of spaces.”
In fact, retailers like Boyles and Tyson-Warren said customers are choosing Z4s for game rooms, dens and home offices, just as often as they are for guest rooms and bedrooms.
“Consumers today are focused on maximizing smaller spaces,” said Rob Spilman Jr., president and chief executive officer of Bassett. “In designing Z4, we began exploring new technologies, eventually modifying a mechanism, and changing the hardware to create a premium product. Now, based on comfort and ease of opening, we’re at the forefront of the category. Z4 is multifunctional furniture, usable every day, and no one needs to ever feel like they drew the short straw if they get assigned the sleeper-sofa at their next holiday gathering.”
To experience Z4 or for more information, visit the Bassett Furniture showroom at the High Point Market in IHFC, Space C-1200 or visit www.bassettfurniture.com.
