Homeware spending boom fuels growth at mattress retailer

Independent retailer, Mattress Online, says it has strengthened its team with six new hires as home working continues to drive retail trends.

During the pandemic, the Rotherham-based business adds it saw its turnover leap to £37.5m, which was fuelled by stay-at-home spending on DIY and homeware.

The trend is expected to continue in 2022 and Mattress Online has expanded its 64-strong team to 70, adding brand new roles in merchandise and forecast planning, product management, graphic design and content administration.

Chief executive officer, Steve Adams, said: “As the pandemic accelerated online trends, our agility meant we could continue to innovate, adapt, and stay ahead.

“We’ve seen some significant changes in consumer behaviour, and it’s estimated consumers are spending up to 30% more time at home.

“That has helped drive sales and as customers adapt to new hybrid ways of working, it looks set to continue.”

Last year, Mattress Online processed 128,500 orders from 3.1 million web visitors.

The company says its investment in creating new roles forms part of an expansion strategy which will see a blend of online and physical shopping in key locations.

The business also plans to acquire and roll out 10 brick-and-mortar stores over the next five years.

Adams added: “There are some huge shifts in the industry at the moment. Black Friday has scaled up from being a day to a weekend to a whole-month event.

“Planning is a year-round necessity and several of the roles we’ve created support these now traditional fixtures in the retail calendar.

“I’m confident 2022 will be an excellent year where we continue to innovate and use technology in the smartest and most evolutionary ways.”