The wholesale dollar value of bedding shipments increased 8.5% in April and bedding units jumped 10.7% that month, the International Sleep Products Assn. reported.

But that strong performance was not enough to pull the industry into positive territory for the year, according to ISPA's April Bedding Barometer report, which reflects the performance of bedding producers that account for about three-quarters of total U.S. bedding shipments.

For the first four months of the year, bedding units are down 0.1% and bedding dollars are down 0.6%. The average unit price is down 0.5%, to $212.66, ISPA said.

In April, the average unit price dropped 2%, to $215.07.

The Bedding Barometer report also included a three-month moving average, a new feature of the reports. It revealed that bedding units were down 0.2% from February through April, while bedding dollars were down 1% in that same period. The average unit price declined 0.8% in that period, to $209.87.

The Bedding Barometer reports reflect the performance of 16 U.S. bedding producers that last year accounted for 70% of total units and 78.5% of the wholesale revenue of the full market, ISPA said.

The association notes that the performance of the companies in the sample may not necessarily reflect the performance of the full market for reasons that include distribution shifts and market share changes.