Simmons Bedding Company Brand Transformation Keeps Consumers Living Life Fully Charged

ATLANTA, Jan. 30, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bedding Company ("Simmons") today announced the introduction of a complete brand transformation, making a commitment to communicate directly with consumers and to provide them the brand promise of "Living Life Fully Charged™." The tagline sets the stage for the company's upcoming national broadcast and digital advertising campaign, which is the largest in the history of the Beautyrest® brand, and for three new bedding lines being introduced at this week's Las Vegas Furniture Market. In addition to Beautyrest®, the brand umbrella now features Beautyrest Black® and ComforPedic® from Beautyrest®. All three include the revolutionary Recharge™ Sleep System, which blends sleep technologies to help consumers recharge themselves, much like a human battery, to ensure they are Living Life Fully Charged™. New stylized Simmons and Beautyrest logos were also introduced at Market.

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"Over the past year, we've invested significant resources into market research to truly listen to our consumers in the marketplace and better align our products with what they truly want," said Simmons CEO Gary T. Fazio. "In short, we identified that though consumers always desire quality products, what they're really looking for is a brand promise. We're providing consumers the benefits they're desperately looking for – the freedom of movement, the independent support and the ideal sleeping temperature they need to get a great night's sleep and wake up ready for Living Life Fully Charged."

Beautyrest^® Recharge™ Sleep System Keeps Consumers Living Life Fully Charged^™
Debuting at this week's Market, the Beautyrest® Recharge™ Sleep System combines three cutting-edge technologies – AirCool™ Memory Foam, AirCool™ Design and Independent Support™ Technology – designed to deliver the comfort you want and the support your body needs so you can wake up Living Life Fully Charged™. As part of the system, Independent Support Technology provides personalized back support and spinal alignment, while AirCool™ Memory Foam's open cell structure conforms to your body and provides pressure-point relief and freedom of movement. Meanwhile, AirCool™ Design components enhance airflow and dissipate heat to help keep you at your ideal sleeping temperature. Additional elements include a smooth knit Evenloft® Surface that lightly stretches to form to your body, an AirCool™ BeautyEdge® Foam Encasement that enhances airflow through the mattress and offers stability right to the edge and AirCool™ Mesh Border Fabric with Breathable Surround that envelops the mattress for greater breathability and airflow. 

"All of these elements work in concert to deliver a sleep experience like none you've experienced before," said Mark Owen, Simmons' senior vice president of brand management. "Simmons is redefining the iconic Beautyrest brand to encapsulate what the brand means today. Our ComforPedic from Beautyrest memory foam collection now lives under the Beautyrest brand umbrella, providing a stronger breadth of differentiated bedding solutions within the Beautyrest portfolio."

Beautyrest® TruEnergy™ Recharges Beautyrest® Brand
The new Beautyrest® TruEnergy™ collection, which replaces Beautyrest® World Class®, represents significant advancements across the Beautyrest® brand to ensure consumers are Living Life Fully Charged™. The line's Recharge™ Sleep System fuses AirCool™ Design and AirCool™ Memory Foam with legendary Beautyrest® Smart Response™ Pocketed Coil® Technology. The spring's dual action design enhances conformability and contouring while offering progressive levels of personalized back support for proper sleeping posture throughout the night. The nine models feature a 20-year limited warranty and range in price from $1,599–$2,799, while select models feature AirCool™ Memory Foam with GelTouch™ for added pressure relief.

"At retail, we've created Recharge Sleep Stations designed to truly connect with our consumer base and allow our customers to interact with Beautyrest products in a more private setting," said Rolf Sannes, vice president of Beautyrest brand management. "A canopy overhang and staging beds foot-to-head against the wall allow consumers to kick back and enjoy video elements that convey how you should be Living Life Fully Charged." 

New Beautyrest Black® Collection Provides Indulgent, Restoring Sleep
Also featuring the new Recharge™ Sleep System, the new Beautyrest Black® and Beautyrest Black Beyond™ collections blend new technologies to create a luxurious and decadent sleep experience. Nestled exclusively inside the Beautyrest Black® mattress are hundreds of Advanced Pocketed Coil® springs – a triple-wrapped helix of high-carbon steel encased in soft fabric for increased durability, motion separation and conformability. In all, the new line features nine models, each with AirCool™ Memory Foam with GelTouch™, comfort foams and a 20-year limited warranty. Suggested retail pricing for the collection is $1,999–$2,999 for Beautyrest Black® and $3,999–$5,999 for Beautyrest Black Beyond™ models.

ComforPedic® from Beautyrest® Continues Growth
In addition to exceptional feels and choices, the re-engineered ComforPedic® from Beautyrest® collection now features the Recharge™ Sleep System, bringing together proprietary memory foam technology and enhanced support to conform to your body while still maintaining freedom of movement. Proprietary AirCool™ Memory Foam infused with gel technology rests atop hundreds of sculpted cushions in the lower layer that respond independently to your shape and movement for the personalized support and spinal alignment your body needs to wake up Living Life Fully Charged™. Smooth knit covers, open cell formulation and breathable mesh border fabrics help to keep you at your ideal temperature while the AirCool™ Edge system offers support and stability right to the edge. The new collection features five visually attractive models ranging in price from $2,499–$4,599. All feature a 25-year limited warranty and are eligible for the company's 365-day Confidence Guarantee with participating retailers.

"ComforPedic has celebrated compounded annual growth in recent years," said Brad Hill, senior vice president and general manager of specialty products North America. "The brand's positive feedback and strong consumer loyalty base, combined with the line's recent addition of the Recharge Sleep System, propel the brand to realize even greater success both with the consumer and at retail."

To learn more about Simmons' market introductions, please visit World Market Center, Building A, Showroom 525, or visit www.simmons.com.

About Simmons Bedding Company
Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding Company is one of the world's largest mattress producers and the maker of Beautyrest®. Simmons manufactures and markets a broad range of products including Beautyrest®, Beautyrest TruEnergy™, Beautyrest Black®, ComforPedic® from Beautyrest®, Natural Care® and BeautySleep®. Simmons Bedding operates 19 conventional bedding manufacturing facilities across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Simmons Bedding also serves as a key supplier of beds to many of the world's leading hotel groups and resort properties. Simmons Bedding is committed to developing superior mattresses and promoting a higher-quality sleep, helping ensure consumers around the world are Living Life Fully Charged™. For more information, visit www.simmons.com, or follow Simmons Bedding on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About AOT Bedding Super Holdings, LLC
AOT Bedding Super Holdings, LLC owns and manages two of the world's largest bedding manufacturers, Simmons Bedding Company and National Bedding Company, LLC. Under AOT Bedding's direction and leadership, the two companies work together where joint activities can achieve efficiencies, enhance results or provide better products and services to customers. In the marketplace, Simmons is responsible for maximizing the success of the Beautyrest®, Beautyrest Black®, Beautyrest TruEnergy™, ComforPedic® from Beautyrest® and BeautySleep® brands, while National Bedding is responsible for its competing brands of Serta®, iComfort® and Perfect Sleeper®.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events and financial performance. Words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "believes," "forecasts" and variations of such words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events, results or trends, or that do not relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith and Simmons believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that the events, results or trends identified in these forward-looking statements will occur or be achieved. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Simmons's expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) competitive pressures in the bedding industry; (ii) general economic and industry conditions; (iii) our ability to launch new products on a timely basis, the success of our new products and the future costs to rollout such products; (iv) legal and regulatory requirements; (v) our relationships with, exposures to credit risk and viability of our suppliers, significant customers and licensees; (vi) fluctuations in our costs of raw materials and energy prices; (vii) our ability to hold or increase prices on our products and the related effect on our unit sales; (viii) an increase in our return rates and warranty claims; (ix) our labor relations; (x) encroachments on our intellectual property; (xi) our product liability, intellectual property and other litigation claims; (xii) our level of indebtedness; (xiii) compliance with covenants in, and any defaults under, our 11.25% senior secured notes indenture and our asset- based lending (ABL) credit agreement; (xiv) interest rate and credit market risks; (xv) foreign currency exchange rate risks; (xvi) our future acquisitions; (xvii) our ability to achieve the expected benefits from any personnel realignments; and (xviii) our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to operate our business. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, either to reflect new developments or for any other reason.

FOR INFORMATION
Christine Foster
three PR
404.664.4490
[email protected]

Leslie Thompson
three PR
404.835.4525
[email protected]

SOURCE Simmons Bedding Company