by WOBURN, Mass. –Top 20 U.S. bedding manufacturer Spring Air International gathered its senior leadership together in Boston recently for its second Domestic Licensee Summit. A celebration of the national status that the company achieved this year, the event set the stage for continued momentum with a strong focus on best practices across the organization and the development of new collections for 2023.
The event was hosted by licensee David Nguyen of C.M. Bedding Group in the Fall River, Massachusetts manufacturing facility, with representatives in attendance from all 13 licensees across the country. Emphasis was on Spring Air’s unique, and highly collaborative licensee/licensor approach with the group reviewing a series of new product collections for 2023, as well as plans for key buying group and retailer-specific events throughout the coming year.
“Bringing the team together in this way speeds our time to market with new product that is created with the insight and feedback of what I believe to be 13 of the best minds in the bedding business, said Nick Bates, president of Spring Air. “This kind of collaboration enables us to share best practices in manufacturing in real time, and to solidify and achieve consensus on where we’re going as a brand.”
“One of the things that’s been a sea change in the way we do business and that has propelled our growth into a national presence is that we no longer launch products on a traditional market cycle,” Bates said. “Rather, we bring products to market as we see need in the marketplace. During this event, all of our 2023 product collections were launched at the factory in Fall River, three months in advance of the Winter Market so that all of the factories will arrive in Las Vegas with a leg up and all the tools they require to sell the line-up.”
Among the major collections to be shown in Las Vegas finalized during the Summit were Back Supporter Hybrid Plus, Last Mattress by Spring Air, and the most luxurious Chattam & Wells models yet, with mattresses using the finest natural fibers that stretch the collection upwards into $15,000 retails in queen sizes.
The new Chattam & Wells entries are set apart by a rich, midnight navy velvet border stitched in the brand’s signature Chesterfield pattern, silky ivory top panels, a gold embroidered crown, gold metal branded tags, and removable velvet toppers affixed with equestrian-style buttons and tabs in navy and gold, while the new Back Supporter Hybrid Plus upgrades the best-selling line known for exceptional back support and pressure-relieving comfort with the cooling technology today’s consumers are clamoring for. Last Mattress by Spring Air is a heavy-duty performance collection using super-durable components specifically designed for consumers looking for ultra-durable mattresses.
“With this event, Nick has accomplished what no one thought possible five or six years ago, which is to bring all of these factories together working toward a common goal. We are ready for 2023,” said licensee Brent Ford, Silverline Sleep, while Lester Mesner of Old West Mattress, the most recent licensee to join Spring Air, added, “attending this meeting brought back many good memories of the way things should work in a licensing group.”
