(Editor: Leona)

In its first report on business in 2015, the International Sleep Products Assn. said bedding units jumped 7.8% in January while the wholesale dollar value of bedding shipments increased 12.0%.

The results come on the heels of a stellar industry performance in December, when bedding units were up 15.1% and the wholesale dollar value of bedding shipments soared 25.1%. Together those reports reflect an industry generating strong growth, industry observers said.

The results are from the monthly Bedding Barometer reports issued by ISPA, which present the performance of producers accounting for a majority of industry shipments. They are closely watched by bedding industry observers as they provide the only monthly performance indicators in the industry.

The January report said that mattress units increased 9.7%, while foundation units grew by 5.6%. The dollar value of mattress shipments increased 13.6%, with the dollar value of foundation shipments rising 4.5%.

The average unit price for mattresses was up 3.6% to $349.05, while it decreased 1.0% for foundations, to $81.93. Overall, the average unit price increased 3.9% in January, to $227.05.

ISPA also released a three-month rolling total, covering industry performance from November through January, that showed strong results. Bedding units increased 7.8% in that quarter, while the wholesale dollar value of bedding shipments was up 13.2%. The average unit price was up 5.0% to $231.31.

ISPA says the Bedding Barometer reports reflect the performance of 13 mattress producers that accounted for about 70% of total bedding units in 2013 and about 78% of the wholesale revenue of the full market.

But ISPA cautions that the reports may not necessarily reflect the performance of the full mattress industry because of changes in distribution or market share.