When it comes to the development of strategic partnerships and dynamic collaborations within the retail space, there isn’t a brand executing better than Sleep Country Canada. Following shortly behind the announcement of its expanded partnership with Walmart Canada and the launch of the brand’s Express stores, it’s set to launch an innovative new retail and digital collaboration with US bed-in-a-box provider Casper. It’s a development for Canada’s omnichannel specialty sleep retailer that President and incoming CEO, Stewart Schaefer, says allows the brand to continue expanding its sleep ecosystem while also building further on the incredible selection of sleep solutions that it provides customers.
“Sleep Country has cultivated a relationship with our customers over the years,” he says. “There’s a trust in the brand that’s resulted from ensuring that we’re the curator of the most relevant products and brands. Within the last five or so years, a number of wonderful brands like Endy, Purple and Casper started to appear on the scene with incredible product and innovation. And they were competing with each other and with us. The fact that Casper is now available in Sleep Country stores across Canada changes that landscape between us, and it changes the landscape for the customer in terms of the accessibility to one of the most relevant brands from coast-to-coast.”
Expanded sleep ecosystem
The partnership, announced in September, makes Sleep Country Canada the exclusive provider of six of Casper’s award-winning products, allowing Canadians, beginning early October, to purchase Casper’s core-collection mattresses – the Original, Nova, Wave, Hybrid Original, Nova Snow and Wave Snow – in most Sleep Country and Dormez-vous stores and online. The two companies have also developed a collaborative revenue sharing partnership concerning all Canadian sales within Casper’s Canadian stores and ecommerce platforms. In addition, the brands have entered into a multi-million-dollar cross-promotional marketing commitment intended to broaden and strengthen the awareness of each brand. And, just as important as the details of the deal, says Schaefer, is the ways in which the partnership further bolsters the brands ongoing omnichannel efforts.
“We are not only the retailer that brings Canadians the most innovative products available on the market, but we’re also channel agnostic,” he asserts. “This philosophy has allowed us to be flexible and to develop partnerships with brands, whether they’re digital-first or brick-and-mortar-first. This has enabled us to serve our customers in the way they want to be served. The acceleration of customer shopping behaviours and preferences toward the online channels throughout the pandemic has been incredible. Of course, this was an evolution in the consumer that was already happening prior to COVID, but the increased comfort demonstrated by Canadians to shop and purchase online means that you have to be there with your product if you want to grow going forward.”
Increasing awareness
For the award-winning American sleep products provider, this exclusive partnership marks its largest Canadian distribution platform to-date, with mattresses being sold across Sleep Country’s national network of 287 retail locations and robust e-commerce platforms. Casper has made significant progress in the expansion and distribution of its products through retail partnerships over the past year. Its partnership with Sleep Country, in particular, allows it to extend its presence in the Canadian market and raise awareness of the brand with the Canadian consumer.
“We are thrilled to announce Sleep Country as our exclusive retail partner for our most popular mattresses across Canada,” says Emilie Arel, President and Chief Commercial Officer at Casper. “As we strategically and thoughtfully expand Casper’s footprint, we aim to partner with respected retailers that possess unparalleled sleep and market expertise, and who prioritize a commitment to customer service. As Canada’s leading sleep retailer, I am confident that Sleep Country is the right partner for us to expand our distribution, while leveraging their nationwide logistics network and supply chain to efficiently serve the Canadian consumer.”
Focus on the consumer
As part of the partnership, Sleep Country and Casper will collaborate on the development of new Casper products designed exclusively for the Canadian market, combining the American company’s commitment to design excellence and innovation with Sleep Country’s intimate knowledge of Canadian consumer preferences. It’s a partnership and collaboration that offers each brand tremendous opportunities to continue growing. And, as Schaefer points out, it provides Sleep Country with another layer of offering, building further on a fast-growing sleep solution omnichannel ecosystem in order to continue satisfying the needs of an evolving and varied consumer.
“I learned years ago that not everybody wants to walk into a Sleep Country or Dormez-vous store to shop. The brand has a very strong loyalty-base that we continue to grow every year. But sometimes people will want to shop at a Casper or with Purple or Endy. And it’s up to Sleep Country to ensure that the Canadian consumer has access to all of these amazing brands. In the end, we’re a retailer. We sell mattresses and sleep products, and we do that very well. But we’re also a distribution and logistics machine with two new super hubs to better service the customer. And, as part of that service, we need to provide the range in products that our customer is looking for. We’ve been very focused on this and have been active for the last long while, developing partnerships with brands that share the same vision as Sleep Country. And, moving forward, we plan to continue being creative and innovative in the ways we grow and engage with the Canadian consumer.”
This might explain why Hudson’s Bay & TheBay.com suddenly dropped Casper recently.