Carpetright is to shake-up its beds offer, relaunching the Sleepright brand and giving bed departments more prominence and space in stores. The chain has recruited Bill Carrahar, former Bensons for Beds md, and Paul Burgham, former Bensons commercial director, to oversee the change.

‘Beds have been further down the line for attention than carpet but the market is in a changing state and we feel there is an opportunity if we raise our game both in presentation and product,’ Carrahar told Interiors Monthly. ‘It’s a quantum change with significant investment. We intend to offer very attractive selling stories, demystifying bed buying with a brand lead offer.’

There will be six core divan and three bedstead collections of 27 beds plus an average of six other models including children’s beds.
Bed departments are being moved from the back to the side of the store from front to back and given more space. The first standalone Sleepright store will open by the end of the month in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, along with half of the 10,00sqft York branch. Four more will open by Christmas, replacing existing Carpetright properties, with a target of 12 by Easter. Carrahar says the aim is to concentrate on the 260 existing bed departments rather than a rush to new stores.

Meanwhile, Steinhoff is to ditch the Sleepmasters and Bed Shed brands and rebrand the stores as Bensons for Beds, creating a national chain with more than 300 outlets.

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