Member Article

Home furnishing players launch their revolutionary mattress

Two experienced retail players have combined to launch a revolutionary new British mattress.

Yorkshire-born Adam Black, founder of Feather and Black, and Matthew Hardcastle, formerly of Shop Direct and eBay, have created Drift (www.driftsleep.com), which they believe brings a new dimension to the burgeoning UK mattress market.

Black and Hardcastle, who also run the successful bespoke bed and mattress retail brand Button and Sprung, are underlining their confidence by offering a 10-year guarantee with a 100-nights free return policy for Drift.

Black explained: “In today’s high-pressure, fast-paced world, sleep has never been so important. A good night’s sleep makes a huge difference to daytime performance and Drift provides exactly that. It is in perfect synergy with our search for wellness and feeling positive and happy about ourselves.”

Drift mattresses, which are manufactured by Harrison Spinks in Yorkshire and sold on-line, have a natural sleep surface, containing wool and cotton, and 4,000 pocket springs in a king size mattress.

Black commented: “Matthew and I were only prepared to enter the market if we thought we could genuinely differentiate the product. Most of the other brands offer foam mattresses which are polyester-covered. Foam and polyester are insulators and heat reflectors, which means over-heating for the consumer is a major problem.

“You sleep ‘hot’. Wool is nature’s great heat regulator - sheep are neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter,” said Black.

Hardcastle commented: “The home sector is really embracing the digital age - and within the home sector, mattresses have now come to the party.

“With the innovative Drift mattress, we have created the first high spring count, naturally filled and natural sleep surface (not synthetic) mattress that can be vacuum-packed and delivered in our Drift duffle bag within 24 hours at a highly-competitive price. We strongly believe that Drift is right for the UK market, where the majority of people prefer sleeping on pocket springs not foam and value a natural night’s sleep.”

In 2014 Black and Hardcastle launched Button and Sprung and, for the first time in mattress retail, offered customers 100 nights to change their mind if they weren’t sleeping well and a 10-year product guarantee.

Black continued: “In the US, two brands launched shortly afterwards and they both copied our ‘100 night/10 year guarantee’ product promise. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and we had no hesitation in extending this guarantee to Drift. It provides the buyer with peace of mind and confidence”.

Today the global mattress market is huge, with US mattress market is reported to be worth $16bn. Within that, the bed in a box concept has taken $750m in the last year and analysts believe it can take 30% of the US market within the next five years. In the UK, two new brands, Eve and Simba, are growing quickly, aided by private equity investment.

Drift, which is manufactured in Leeds, West Yorkshire, offers a market leading specification with 4000 pocket springs (in a king size product), and a 100% natural sleeping surface containing wool and cotton. It costs £699 for a king size mattress and is delivered the next day for free UK-wide.

“The days of dreadful customer service in the mattress market are over,” said Hardcastle. “Gone are those bleak Saturday afternoons, where the shopping experience in large stores, with the buyer confronted by a myriad of confusing options and pushy, commissioned salesmen, can be a nightmare.

“Our direct to consumer model means you can now buy a high quality pocket sprung mattress at a much lower price than in traditional retail stores, which will be courier-delivered within 24 hours. And, if you don’t like it, you can return it free of charge,” he added.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .