Sleep Number Corp. has announced a strategic partnership with three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce and welcomes him as its newest investor.
According to a release, Kelce has used the company’s products since 2019 and understands the benefits of life-changing sleep. Through this strategic partnership, Sleep Number and Kelce will work together to share his Sleep Number journey and the effects the products have had on his performance, recovery, and overall well-being.
“Travis Kelce brings a winning mindset on and off the field. He understands firsthand the importance of sleep in everyday performance, especially in recovery,” says Linda Findley, Sleep Number president and CEO. “Travis’ passion for and awareness of the health benefits of sleep, combined with his business acumen, will be a helpful accelerator of our work as we continue to share our story and attract new, younger consumers to the brand.”
Over the next three years, Kelce will be featured in Sleep Number’s national advertising campaigns, including new TV commercials and digital content across social platforms and other channels.
“I’m intentional about where I invest and the brands I align with. I’ve slept on a Sleep Number bed for years, and it’s been a constant through different seasons of my career and life,” Kelce says. “The ability to adjust the bed as my recovery needs change is something I’ve personally relied on, and it’s why becoming an investor felt like a natural next step. This partnership reflects my confidence in where the company is headed and the growing opportunity around sleep.”
Sleep Number has been focused on revamping its marketing foundation and establishing a more effective and impactful marketing engine. The three-year brand collaboration with Kelce is one of multiple strategic components of a broader, integrated marketing offense.
This collaboration is a natural extension of Sleep Number’s deep engagement with the NFL. Since 2018, the company has served as the Official Sleep + Wellness Partner of the NFL, a nine-year relationship leveraging players, team partnerships, and league-wide initiatives to drive brand visibility, consumer connection, and cultural relevance. That impact is clear: According to the latest data, 83% of NFL players have a Sleep Number bed, underscoring the brand’s central role in player wellness and performance.
U.K.-based spring and comfort technology manufacturer Spinks has announced the global launch of a new range of pocket cores:
ECORE: A new family of pocket cores engineered with recyclability and performance at its core. Available in polypropylene nonwoven with a polypropylene bonding agent and in polyester nonwoven with a polyester bonding agent, ECORE is offered in multiple heights, coil counts, and wire gauges, with standard boxed or nested constructions for increased coil density and enhanced support. Options for zoning, firm-edge reinforcement, flexible gluing, and framed or unframed configurations give manufacturers the flexibility to create high-performance, customized mattress cores.
ECORE AIR: Engineered to deliver exceptional airflow and improved temperature regulation for a cooler, more breathable sleep experience, ECORE AIR features a perforated polypropylene nonwoven that enhances ventilation throughout the mattress core, combining high-performance comfort with a climate-conscious design for manufacturers and consumers alike.
INDECORE: A patented pocket spring innovation entering commercial rollout for the first time. Featuring a fully elasticated top sheet, each coil moves independently, overcoming the limitations of traditional pocket cores that rely on top and bottom sheets for stability. The result is superior responsiveness, greater conformity, and a more authentic pocketed-coil experience.
These new products follow Spinks’ award wins at the Interzum trade fair in Cologne, Germany—including the Best of the Best Award—and its launch of four spring inventions, including the patented Quadrolution, which was recognized with a High Product Quality Award at Interzum.
Quadrolution is an evolution of the company’s glueless QuadCore spring technology—a 100% recyclable spring system that delivers body-responsive comfort and is made with just two raw materials, offering many customization opportunities.
“As world leaders in pocket spring innovation, combining our expertise in engineering, sustainability, and comfort technology, we’ve been able to deliver products that continue to set new industry standards for customers globally,” says Darren Marcangelo, chief commercial officer at Spinks. “These latest developments are no exception, offering versatile, recyclable designs, enhanced airflow and temperature regulation, and improved coil responsiveness. Together, they provide manufacturers around the world with practical, high-performance solutions to create differentiated, unique products and reinforce their competitive edge.”
King Koil® Canada Partners With Sleep Shop to Launch SmartLife by King Koil
King Koil® Canada has announced its Canadian SmartLife by King Koil retail store partner, Sleep Shop, with three stores in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area.
According to a release, this flagship lineup is designed to bring a new level of innovation, craftsmanship, and retailer support to the Canadian market. The SmartLife by King Koil collection offers:
Dealer protection: Built-in safeguards to support long-term retailer success with limited and controlled distribution partners.
Aesthetic details: Luxury finishes and premium materials to elevate the in-store shopping experience.
Technological advancement: Real-time pressure-relief mattress with exclusive air pocket technology.
Strong margin protection: Enforced minimum advertised price agreements across Canada to protect retailer profitability.
David Grange, vice president of national accounts and special projects at King Koil, oversaw the final setup and training with the Sleep Shop team to ensure a seamless launch and outstanding customer experience. “This partnership with Sleep Shop continues our controlled distribution growth of the SmartLife by King Koil,” he says. “Our SmartLife Collection is uniquely positioned to deliver superior comfort, craftsmanship, and retailer-friendly policies to our Canadian retail partners.”
Alexium’s BioCool® Sets New Standard for Thermal Regulation
Alexium International, a leader in advanced thermal management solutions, has announced a breakthrough in phase change material technology. Independent testing confirms that BioCool® formulations have achieved verified testing of a latent heat of fusion (enthalpy) exceeding 200 Joules per gram.
This milestone positions BioCool as the highest-capacity formulated PCM currently available on the market.
“Reaching the 200 J/g threshold changes the equation for product designers,” says Nick Leitner, vice president of technology at Alexium. “It means manufacturers can either deliver significantly more cooling power without increasing weight, or they can maintain current cooling levels using far less material, improving cost-efficiency and product feel.”
The new BioCool formulation also features an enhanced recrystallization rate, allowing the material to recharge faster and more efficiently than conventional alternatives. This dual-advantage capability addresses the two biggest challenges in the thermal regulation industry: the duration of cooling and the speed of recovery.
According to a release, the BioCool formulation has been engineered with an optimized nucleating profile that accelerates recrystallization. This ensures that the material returns to its cooling state more rapidly during ambient temperature drops, making it ready for the next heat cycle sooner. This is a critical advancement for applications like bedding, where “thermal saturation” (the material stopping working halfway through the night) has historically been a consumer complaint.
Avocado Achieves Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 Certification Across Its Core Product Portfolio
Avocado Green Mattress, a leader in certified organic sleep products, has achieved a significant milestone: Oeko-Tex® Standard 100, Product Class I (baby standard), for its entire collection of mattresses, crib mattresses, pillows, and mattress toppers under certificate 24.HUS.86422.
This new certification dramatically expands Avocado’s previous Oeko-Tex Standard 100 scope—which applied only to select innerspring models—into a certification that now covers Avocado’s full core product portfolio to Class I, including:
Every adult organic mattress (Green, Vegan, Latex, Wool, Extra Firm, Eco Organic, Luxury Organic, and Grand Luxury).
The Eco Organic Kids Mattress
Every organic crib mattress (Eco Organic, Organic, and Luxury).
Every pillow (latex, Pure Talalay®, wool, down, toddler, and decorative inserts).
Every mattress topper (Eco Organic and Down).
According to a release, this achievement represents one of the most comprehensive finished-product toxicology certifications ever awarded in the sleep category in the United States. With this certification, Avocado becomes:
The first American mattress brand with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class I-certified finished mattresses.
The only American mattress brand with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class I-certified finished crib mattresses.
The only U.S. mattress brand with Class I certification across all mattresses, crib mattresses, pillows, and mattress toppers.
Product Class I is Oeko-Tex’s strictest standard—typically reserved for baby products—with the most protective chemical limits.
“Customers deserve absolute clarity about what is in the products they sleep on every night,” says George Mathew, vice president of sourcing and certifications at Avocado. “Achieving Standard 100 Class I across our full product portfolio demonstrates that organic materials and nontoxicity are not marketing ideas—they must be verified at the finished-product level. We’re proud to help set a higher bar for transparency in our industry.”
“Achieving Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Product Class I, across an entire portfolio of mattresses, crib mattresses, pillows, and toppers is a significant accomplishment,” says Ben Mead, managing director at Hohenstein, a founding member institute of Oeko-Tex. “This level of certification requires strict adherence to our most rigorous chemical-safety requirements. Avocado’s achievement demonstrates true leadership in the bedding industry and sets an important example for brands seeking to substantiate their claims and give consumers the trust they deserve.”
Shifman Launches on Promoboxx Social Media Platform
Shifman has expanded its marketing capabilities with the launch of Promoboxx, a scalable social media platform designed to support its retail partners.
Through Promoboxx, all Shifman retailers can access and share Shifman’s luxury brand content across their social media channels, elevating their digital presence while driving consumer demand and in-store traffic. This will enable Shifman to deliver a consistent brand and product story in local markets at scale and strengthen its connection with consumers at the local level.
“Social media is essential to reaching today’s consumer,” says Mark Quinn, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Shifman. “Luxury is our domain, and through our retail partners, we can now seamlessly share compelling brand and product stories that connect consumers directly to our retailers. Promoboxx allows us to measure reach and impact, scale campaigns through co-op programs, and apply our marketing expertise to help bring luxury consumers through our partners’ doors.”
Shifman also gains deeper analytical insights into how its branded content on retail partners’ social media accounts drives consumer engagement and connects marketing efforts back to retail. “We already provide our retailer partners with powerful marketing content for the luxury space,” says Quinn. “From channel and reach to engagement, action, and, ultimately, store visits, we will have concrete data on how these programs impact overall business. It’s a powerful value for our retail partners, who benefit from the strength of the platform with minimal effort on their end.”
Kingsdown Partnership Results in 25% Sales Increase
Luxury bedding manufacturer Kingsdown Inc. has partnered with Brown Squirrel Furniture, a recognized family-owned retailer in Knoxville, Tennessee, to create an exclusive, single-brand mattress department that has increased sales by 25%.
Conceptualized by Jacqueline Morton, senior director of marketing at Kingsdown, the newly renovated, 7,500-square-foot department features a cohesive brand experience and a broad representation of Kingsdown collections, ranging from Prime to Passions, Insignia, and K2 to the Sleep to Live custom line. Kingsdown’s bedMATCH® diagnostic system, designed to help customers perfectly match a mattress to their needs, anchors the space, while a 70-inch monitor on continuous loop drives home branding messages and allows customizable content to be featured during promotional periods throughout the year.
“The shopper’s experience is extremely important in any bedding gallery, so our goal was to modernize the area with warmer tones to create a more calming shopping experience,” says Morton. “We also considered the flow of the shopper from the entrance through the pathway throughout the space. Each of the pieces work together to convey the kind of attention to detail that’s synonymous with the Kingsdown brand.”
As part of a global initiative designed to strengthen agility, efficiency, and competitiveness, BekaertDeslee is optimizing its manufacturing activities across its North American footprint. This strategic realignment includes streamlining operations in the United States and Canada, while enhancing capabilities in Mexico and strengthening the company’s overall ability to respond to customer needs.
According to a release, BekaertDeslee remains focused on long-standing partnerships that support customers and communities across North America. “These actions support our ambition to build a more integrated, resilient, and future-ready manufacturing network,” says Rafael Rodriguez, executive vice president Americas and president North America at BekaertDeslee. “This alignment enables us to continue delivering high-quality, innovative textile solutions while supporting sustainable growth.”
The company is also making selected investments in technology and training to strengthen its operational capabilities across North America, says Rodriguez.
Helix Sleep Launches Retail Partnership With Mattress Warehouse
Direct-to-consumer brand Helix Sleep is partnering with top national retailer Mattress Warehouse to make Helix mattresses available in select Mattress Warehouse locations nationwide.
The lineup features Midnight Luxe, Twilight Luxe, Midnight Elite, Twilight Elite, and the retail-exclusive Helix Premier.
“Partnering with Mattress Warehouse is a major milestone for Helix’s retail program,” says Jerry Lin, co-founder of Helix Sleep. “Their unmatched reputation and broad customer base create an incredible opportunity to extend our reach like never before. This collaboration will allow us to bring Helix’s science-backed comfort and quality to a wider audience, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and excellence in sleep. We’re proud to join forces with a retailer that shares our dedication to providing high-quality sleep products.” •