Lisa Meegan, Sales & Marketing Manager at GIE Wholesale Furniture, talks about their mattress offering, product development, recent investments and a new sourcing service.
Can you share some details on your product offering?
At GIE, we are proud to supply a wide range of home furnishings, sofas, garden furniture and rugs but we’re best known in the trade as a trusted bed specialist. Our bed portfolio spans from bedroom furniture, upholstered styles, and we have recently launched a range of leather beds. The natural progression for our company was to add a strong line of mattresses to complete our bed offering. The decision to get into mattresses came with one condition, we wanted to be involved in the design. We travelled to the factory for an elaborate collaboration to design exclusive mattresses that we would be proud to offer. The Serenity Sleep Collection was created.
Did you face any challenges entering the mattresses marketplace?
The biggest challenge we faced when we first launched our products was the customer loyalty in the industry was nothing short of impressive. We found even our most long-standing customers were hesitant to look at them. We had to think outside the box to get our mattresses on shop floors. We decided to invest further in the Serenity Sleep brand by giving a Free Gift with every mattress (4ft 6 & above). We designed a sleep gift box containing a candle, sleep spray and diffuser with a unique relaxing scent.
We wanted the set to be unique and represent the brand that we were launching. Everything was done inhouse, from the scent to the design and selecting the products. We created a booklet to include information of each mattress and printed thousands for each store highlighting the benefits & features of each model. We designed footmats that included a QR code that could be easily scanned for more information. Thankfully, our hard work paid off.
After trying one mattress and seeing its success, they tried a second and third, and so on. The mattresses worked so well that we added beds to our collection to match the mattresses that we offer as a bundle offer. Our main focus now is maintaining a high level of stock as we offer an ongoing promotion of buy any 10 mix of models and sizes and get one free. We find this to be a very popular offer and therefore stock levels must be maintained.
Have there been any stand out products in the mattress category?
We have found there are two standout mattresses in the collection, firstly, the Aloe Vera G02 Mattress, a roll up, boxed with wheels and a handle for easy storage and delivery. We believe this mattress has thrived because of its competitive price, convenient packaging and wide choice of sizes. Secondly, the Luxury High 09 Organic Cotton mattress, the feedback on this mattress has been extremely positive due to its luxurious comfort at a great price.
What do you think has been the key to GIE’s continued success?
Offering an extensive range of unique and high-quality products and having close relationship with our customers has allowed to us to grow organically on trust and reputation. We don’t have a Sales Representative on the road, therefore, word of mouth has tremendously helped us and that is the kind of marketing no one can buy. It is wonderful when a new customer contacts us to say we have been recommended. We know we need to continue to work hard to keep the trust that had took the company over 40 years to earn. We are continually investing in new products and new systems to make business not just more efficient but more enjoyable.
How are you supporting your customers?
We have put large focus into supporting our customers as many of them move online. We have invested in a Retail API system for a product & inventory feed. We offer courier home delivery on all of our products across Ireland and delivery on smaller items across the UK including rugs, lamps, mirrors, wall art and chairs. Along with investing in our website, this year, we have invested in our social media to support our customers further online. Our team is active daily on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok showing new launches and behind-the-scenes from our showroom.
Can you tell us more about your showroom and what customers can expect when they visit?
Our showroom is onsite, just one hour from Belfast and one hour from Dublin, and showcases our full range across four departments: beds & mattresses, sofas, garden furniture and home interiors. All our products are on display for customers to view, and for those interested in purchasing container orders, we also offer a wide selection of fabric and finish options. The showroom is open Monday to Friday, with weekend visits available by appointment.
Can you tell us about the container sourcing service?
Our Sales team are providing a sourcing service across all products that has proved to be very successful over the past 12 months. Working closely with our retail partners, we’ve sourced distinctive garden furniture, unique beds and sofas in mixed containers. We’re now offering mixed-container orders from our mattress collection with their own private-label branding. Customer needs are at the heart of our business, and this service has proved to be very popular.
What’s next for GIE?
We are excited to announce, along with plans for building a new warehouse, offices and a showroom, we are working on an entire new collection of sofas and beds that will launch in January. We’re planning a launch week in our showroom where customers can book private viewing slots to see all the new products. To arrange a visit to our showroom, please call us on 028 30 861 678 or email suzanne@gieireland.com.
