1800mattress.com Announces Store Expansion Plans In Maryland and DC

Furniture World Magazine

Leading bedding retailer 1800mattress.com said it would expand its regional business to 40 retail locations in the District of Columbia and its suburbs, and that it had hired mattress industry veteran Ken Mazda to lead the effort. Mazda, best known for building Nationwide Discount Sleep Centers into the 60-store dominant mattress retailer in the Philadelphia market, was named vice president of business development, new markets, and will lead the suburban Washington expansion. Mazda sold Nationwide in 1999. Since that time, he has participated in other retail ventures including franchise development. 1800mattress.com already operates three showrooms and a warehouse in the region. The company has already signed leases to open another five stores in the next 60 days, and expects to reach the 40 store mark within 18 months. “The mattress retailing dynamics of the Washington market, particularly in some of its Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs, are changing dramatically and there is an exciting opportunity for us to expand market share in a smart way,” said Mazda. “Ken has brought a fresh and creative approach to expanding our retail operations outside of New York and we are expecting rapid growth in this market,” said 1800mattress.com Executive Vice President of National Sales Joe Vicens. Vicens said one of the reasons the company can more efficiently open retail locations is because of the synergies of its multi-channel retail strategy, where mattresses are sold over the telephone, through retail showrooms and via the internet and internet chat. This is particularly true between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. when most retailers are closed, yet with 1800mattress.com sales continue on-line and over the telephone. “Mattress retailing is not like operating a Starbuck’s or CVS where you need a retail location every few feet for the consumer to stumble into,” he said. “Increasingly the mattress purchasing process is multi-faceted. A customer typically calls our 800 number or searches the internet or maybe chats on-line with one of our trained bedding consultants. They use the retail showroom if they want to see and touch the mattress only.” Vicens said that this strategy enables the retailer to garner more market share with less retail exposure than other mattress chains. 1800mattress.com offers customers same-day delivery and a comfort guarantee whereby a mattress can be exchanged if the customer finds the bed not suitable for their comfort needs after its has been in their home for a few nights. Founded in 1976, 1800mattress.com is the leading national multi-channel (internet, chat, call center and showrooms) retailer of mattresses, box springs and bedding products. It features products by Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Tempurpedic and King Koil among others from its 30 beds and mattress menu, including custom sizes, sofa beds, Murphy beds, futons, and adjustable and organic beds. Its award winning customer service is well chronicled in thousands of media articles and books. The company was also the first mattress retailer to introduce a two-hour delivery window, and fast national and international delivery of its products. Its business-to-business sales division supplies schools, hospitals, hotels and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.1800mattress.com.