HOUSTON--Mattress Firm has appointed Stephen Leggiero to the newly created position of vice president of branding.
The naming of Leggiero represents the latest in a series of high-level executive moves at the mattress specialty retailer over the past two weeks. In that time, Gary Fazio, formerly chief executive officer, has been elevated to chairman, while company president Steve Stagner has added the CEO title to his duties. Also, Craig McAndrews and Dave Brummett have been named vice president of merchandising vice president of product development, respectively.

ATLANTA–The North Carolina Department of Labor has honored Simmons’ factory in Charlotte as a participant in its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

MINNEAPOLIS–Select Comfort reported net income of $35.3 million in the fourth quarter, reversing a fourth-quarter net loss of $57.4 million last year.
The mattress manufacturer-retailer achieved this result through a gain in net sales and gross margin, plus stringent cost cutting. Net sales rose 4 percent in the quarter to $136.5 million, which included a whopping 23 percent increase in same-store sales, offset by the closure of 72 stores since the beginning of last year.

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario–Scott Miller has been promoted to executive vice president of U.S. sales for Natura World.
In this newly created position, Miller is in charge of leading the company’s U.S. sales efforts. He continues to report to Ralph Rossdeutscher, Natura’s president. Miller joined the company in July 2008 as vice president of U.S. sales, after a career that included executive positions with Simmons and International Bedding Co.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.–U.S. sales of mattresses finished 2009 on a positive note, according to the monthly Bedding Barometer from the International Sleep Products Association.
Dollar sales of mattresses increased 7.6 percent in December, totaling $200.5 million, while unit sales jumped 10.8 percent to 643,342. For 2009 as a whole, dollar sales were almost $2.5 billion, down 9.2 percent from 2008, and unit sales fell 5.8 percent to nearly 8 million. ISPA based its data on reports from 18 U.S. mattress manufacturers, whose sales represented 56.3 percent of the market.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.–Vermont Organic Fiber Co., manufacturer of organic wool yarn, fabrics and blankets, has entered the mattress-pad category with its new O-Wool patented line of pads.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–The chill that has hung in the air over the furniture industry for the past year  may be lifting, at least figuratively.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution honoring the High Point Market on its 100th anniversary.

LAS VEGAS–On the eve of the fourth quarter, the Las Vegas Market opened up this morning with both attendees and exhibitors hoping that it would show signs that business was on the rebound. All year long retailers have been hesitant to buy, and manufacturers will look to entice buyers with a market chock full of new product this week.

NEW YORK–HFN is collecting new product information and high-resolution images for its editorial show coverage of High Point Market next month. Please send materials by Monday, Sept. 21, for possible inclusion. Contact Andrea Lillo, alillo@hfnmag.com, for area rugs, and Warren Shoulberg, wshoulberg@hfnmag.com, for furniture.

LAS VEGAS–Attendees and exhibitors at next month’s Las Vegas Market are invited to participate in a Texas Hold’em poker tournament to benefit Walk Now for Autism Speaks.
Doug Krinsky, sales manager for Restonic and the parent of a child with autism, will serve as co-host. The tournament will be held at Binion’s Poker Tournament Room on Tuesday, Sept. 15, beginning at 7 p.m. The entry fee is $125 and registration begins at 6 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla.–A former employee of Spring Air, which closed its manufacturing facilities last week, has filed a class-action suit against the mattress manufacturer.

INDIANAPOLIS–Two hhgregg stores have opened in the North Carolina communities of Asheville and Wilmington.
With the new locations, the retailer now has 16 stores in North Carolina and 113 overall. Hhgregg will conduct a grand-opening sale in the new stores of its televisions, home appliances and mattresses from today through July 25.
Aside from North Carolina, hhgregg has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.

LAS VEGAS–The World Market Center said registration for this week’s Las Vegas Market was off 2 percent compared with last year’s event and described it as better than expected.
Robert Maricich, president and chief executive officer of World Market Center, said the traffic at the market was “exceeding expectations,” given the “significant dips” in attendance at other trade shows and markets.
More than 6,500 buyers have visited the market for the first time this week, according to the World Market Center.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–High Point Market is turning to a pair of musical institutions for its spring Stars Under the Stars concert series and gala Centennial Celebration.
Blood Sweat & Tears will kick off the festivities on April 25th under the Main Event Tent adjacent to the Transportation Terminal on Commerce Avenue. The next evening, legendary ’70s R&B group The Spinners will take the stage armed with their long playlist of hits. On April 26, the Beatles tribute band 1964 plays songs made famous by John, Paul, George and Ringo.

LAS VEGAS–A group of retailers, manufacturers, representatives and suppliers in the home furnishings industry will gather for an industrywide Web summit on Feb. 8, the day before the beginning of Las Vegas Market.

HIGH POINT, N.C.–High Point’s sponsoring manufacturers have set spring premarket for March 23 to 24 and fall premarket for Sept. 14 to 15 after voting late last month to retain the previously established schedule.
High Point has revitalized and repositioned premarket over the past two years, and it has become an important special event offering a competitive advantage for retailers and manufacturers, according to show organizers.

BOSTON–Ed Bates has been named vice president and director of sales for the Northeast region at Spring Air.
Bates reports to Steve Cumbow, acting chief executive officer, in this newly created position.
For 25 years, Bates operated the local Spring Air license company, Spring Air New England, and was one of eight independent licensees who sold their businesses to Spring Air in June 2007 to create a unified Spring Air Co. Since then, he has served as a part-time consultant to the company.

MINNEAPOLIS–Mattress manufacturer/retailer Select Comfort has reported its first quarterly profit of 2008.
The company posted net income of $983,000, down from last year’s third-quarter net of $11.9 million but an improvement on the net losses of $7.1 million in the first quarter and $6.6 million in the second quarter.

LAS VEGAS–In what amounts to a direct conflict with the High Point Market, World Market Center Las Vegas just announced this afternoon that it will shift to a fall and winter schedule for its market weeks in 2009, instead of the summer and winter rotation it has had since its start.
The winter 2009 dates, Feb. 9 to 13, had previously been announced, but the big news is the second show, which will now be held Sept. 14 to 17, instead of the last week of July. Each Vegas show will be reduced by one day to a four-day schedule as well.

NEW YORK–High Point Market exhibitors are invited to submit new product photography and press releases to HFN for its High Point Market show coverage. The deadline is Monday, Sept. 29.

AT THE MARKET–The Las Vegas Summer Market opens today, highlighted by the opening of Building C, the 2.1 million-square-foot addition to the home furnishings campus.
Nearly 1,500 companies are exhibiting in the more than 5 million squre feet of showrooms in the three buildings.
A new destination at the show is the Lodge Living area, a 25,000-square-foot glass-enclosed showroom in Building C with products inspired by outdoor living such as offerings from Woolrich.

NEW YORK–Las Vegas Market exhibitors are invited to submit new product photography and press releases to HFN for its Viva Las Vegas special section and daily show issues.
The deadline is Monday, June 30, to be considered for inclusion.

LAS VEGAS–World Market Center Las Vegas said it moved the dates for its winter 2009 market from the last week of January to Feb. 9 through Feb. 13, 2009, to better align the market with exhibitor business cycles, relieve industry show conflicts and offer more favorable Las Vegas hotel rates.
Specifically, Las Vegas is targeting more international attendees, who might attend January shows in Europe, and the gift industry, which also has a very crowded January trade show calendar, officials said.

NEW YORK–High Point Market exhibitors should send new product photography and press releases to HFN editors for coverage in our April Market issue. We’re accepting product submissions now—please don’t send them any later than Thursday, March 13.