the Bedding Market | Germany

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The bedding market includes products related to sleeping such as mattresses, bed bases (or box springs), pillows and bed linen. The bedding market is a sub-segment of the furniture market. This study analyses bedding for a wide array of end-users, including households, hospitals, hotels, prisons, etc.

According to the World Economic Forum, 62% of adults consider their sleep quality as poor. Increasingly, sleep is recognised as an essential period of our life to foster health; in parallel to this, players in the bedding industry can capitalise on the increased attention given to products related to sleep. Indeed, the industry will benefit from higher expenditure on bedding features going forward.

Sales in the global bedding industry can be divided with 38% of bed bases, 30% of bed linen, 28% mattresses and the rest medical beds. Amid higher consumer expenditure, product innovation, and e-commerce all sub-segments of the global market are expected to grow. Distribution is shared between large furniture retailers (IKEA), pure players, and online players (Emma, Mattressfirm, etc.). 

In Germany, the market is healthy and mature. For instance, the nation boasts the highest number of hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe. [Eurostat] Moreover, overnight stays in the nation have increased steadily over the last years. The mattress market has also grown, albeit at a modest pace. In relation to this, the German consumer's turnover of mattresses is lower than recommended (in other words, the mattress is not changed as often as it should be). If this information can be disclosed to a larger share of the population, the mattress market will potentially boost growth further.

In 2020 bedding specialists accounted for the largest share of sales of bedding products in Germany. However, similar to many other markets in the Western World, sales are increasingly moving online. Although the share is still low (around 10% of total sales), startups such as Emma are disrupting the market with fast delivery, edge-cutting technology, and flexible delivery options.