Leading online-mattress retailer SleePare has launched the first-of-its-kind, try-and-buy online mattress store and showroom in Toronto.
“We are thrilled to bring our unique try-and-buy concept to Toronto, Canada,” said SleePare’s CEO Shanir Kol. “We understand that buying a mattress is a significant decision, and we want to ensure our customers are completely satisfied with their purchase. Our Toronto mattress store enables customers to test out the mattresses they have been considering online.”
The store is located at 2737 Dufferin St, North York.
The first location opened in Manhattan, New York in 20018. Today, the retailer has eight stores in major cities in the U.S. such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, D.C, and Miami.
“Initially the idea was that I was looking to start an online brand. The competition was there. I was thinking of trying a different angle. A new industry. I always think of a business as a way to solve problems. So I thought the problem those guys were going to have is they were going to sell those mattresses online, they don’t have stores. So why don’t I take a showroom and let them send their customers over and try the mattresses before they purchase,” said Kol.
“I got those mattresses, rented a showroom in New York City, luckily they were happy to cooperate with me and send me the mattresses and let their customers know we were there for them to come and try their mattresses. As we saw the traffic grow we decided to open a second showroom and the model we kind of figured out as we went.
“Now people are getting even more interested because online mattresses are getting so much more expensive . . . People want to take the time and make sure they made the right decision.”
Kol said like New York City the Toronto store will test the market to determine if customers are interested in the concept and some of the brands.
SleePare’s new try-and-buy concept enables guests to test out any of their exclusive online mattresses in their local store before they make a buying decision. In a no-pressure environment with personalized support throughout the process, the customer gets exactly what they need when buying a mattress.
The Toronto location includes the most innovative and newly released products from top brands, including:
● Bear
● Dreamcloud
● Ghostbed
● Mlily
● Winkbeds
● Helix
● Leesa
● Lull
● Nectar
● Puffy
● Brooklyn Bedding
These brands are generally only available when you buy them online, but Sleepare has flipped the process and put the decision-making in the hands of a nice little nap, said Kol.
He said it’s hard to say whether the company will open more locations in Canada.
“The first year is always a learning phase. We have to see the amount of people that will come into the store, the amount of people that will end up purchasing,” added Kol.
“As of now, part of the model is we take care of all the costs associated with bringing the mattress into Canada. So we pay the freight, the custom clearance, out of our pocket. So our margins a lot smaller in Canada right now but we’re hoping that it will make up with increased traffic.
“We’ll wait and see at the end of the year if everything makes sense to grow to other cities. We’re definitely seeing interest from other cities in Canada.”
Kol said the concept is looking to expand into further markets in the U.S., using digital data to determine where customers are shopping for mattresses from. In terms of real estate, he looks for spaces that are accessible.
