Bedding Center To Relocate To Plaza Suites in High Point

Furniture World Magazine

After a very successful launch of The Bedding Center at the Spring 2007 High Point Market, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI) announced that it has expanded and relocated the area to the first floor of Plaza Suites. The new Bedding Center, which is completely sold out for the upcoming market, will be ready to welcome buyers for the Fall High Point Market, October 1-7. “The response has been overwhelming, said Tom Mitchell, senior vice president, MMPI High Point, “but we are not surprised, since this is such an important category for our industry. We knew from our research that buyers coming to High Point Market wanted more opportunities to shop bedding while they were here, so we created The Bedding Center to respond to that need.” Feedback from participants from last market is proof of the incredible success of the inaugural launch of The Bedding Center. Gerry Borreggine, President/CEO, Therapedic Sleep Products said, “We think a strong foundation has been laid at this Market [Spring 2007 High Point Market] from which the mattress industry can look to build upon in reestablishing High Point as a bedding destination.” Ashley Groce, Marketing Manager, Corsicana said, “The Bedding Center proved to be a great concept. Customers enjoyed the ease of shopping bedding by having it in one location. We were able to open some new accounts and look forward to coming back in October.” Corsicana added an additional 200 square feet to their space for the October Market. Mark Campbell, VP Sales & Marketing, Springwall Sleep Products added, “The traffic count in our space and the significance of the buyers that we met with at the inaugural event convinced us to expand our space for the October market.” Springwall added an additional 400 square feet to their space for the Fall Market. THE Bedding Center has nearly doubled in size since last market, growing from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet. Buyers will find the latest bedding products available from the following participating companies: Alfa Airbeds, Arason Enterprises, Inc, Carolina Mattress Guild, Corsicana Bedding, Eclipse International, Glideaway Sleep Products, Hickory Springs Manufacturing Co., Industrias Tobia, Pacific Coast Feather Co., Springwall Mattress, and Therapedic. “The participants in the Bedding Center are very excited about their new location,” said Mitchell. “While the Bedding Center was extremely successful in the Suites at Market Square, we felt that Plaza Suites was a better location based on the typical dealer base that is buying this category. Top 100 retailers account for approximately 30 percent of total U.S. bedding sales, and these are the buyers that regularly shop Plaza Suites.” “We are thrilled about the new location for The Bedding Center,” said Jim Wall, Director of Consumer Products of Hickory Springs Manufacturing. “We think this will be a great venue for our customers to see our products in High Point.” For more information about participating, please contact Julie Messner at (336) 821-1509 or jmessner@mmart.com. Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year. MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Federal Center Southwest in Washington, D.C. Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.