Online mattress retailer Casper says it plans to open about 200 new stores to help boost sales.
CEO Philip Krim told the The Wall Street Journal that the stores will help the startup expand beyond its mattresses-in-a-box to begin selling a variety of sleep-related products. “Customers aren’t always in the market for a mattress," he said, "but everyone cares about how they sleep.”
Casper opened its first physical store earlier this year, in New York City. Of the 200 planned new stores, 18 will be transitional makeovers of existing pop-up shops the company will convert to permanent stores. Many of Casper’s pop-ups are in top-tier malls. These pop-up shops have boosted sales in their markets of operation, Krim says. “It’s a way to educate new consumers,” he said. On average, the company says, the temporary units have generated roughly $1,500 per square foot each.
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today