When you buy a Silentnight bed product, you know you’re in for a comfortable sleep.
Silentnight Beds has come a long way since Tom and Joan Clarke started the company in 1946 as ‘Clarke’s Mattresses Limited’’. Since then, it’s built a solid reputation for producing highly comfortable bedding and has won hearts and awards not just for its products but also for its branding and commitment to sustainability.
This is a short history of Silentnight and how it became the brand we know and love.
The short life of Clarke’s Mattresses Limited (in a nice way!)
The adventure began in 1946 in the North Yorkshire town of Skipton, but the founders officially registered the company as ‘Clarke’s Mattresses Limited’ in 1948. The company quickly grew and became Silentnight Limited in 1951.
The business was booming, and in 1961, the Clarkes moved the company to Barnoldswick, Lancashire, where Silentnight still operates. It continued to grow, and in 1979, Silentnight extended its showroom in Salterforth to display more products to the public.
The 1980s and 1990s: an era of growth, innovation and marketing
Spurred on by the success throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Silentnight kept delivering. In 1986, they created their ‘Ultimate Spring System, which they later renamed Miracoil. They were pretty happy with it and came up with the brand’s Hippo and Duck to accompany it.
In the next decade, Silentnight undertook a brand refresh. The much-loved Hippo and Duck would get an update, and audiences would see them across all the platforms. Then would come the Noughties, and Silentnight would be stepping up its innovation and marketing activity in the new century.
2000 and beyond: sublime product launches, sublime marketing
I Believe in Miracoils’ — that was the advertising campaign Silentnight treated us to in 2002. The company would also launch filled products into its range, such as duvets, pillows, electric blankets, and mattress protectors. It was going to be a busy decade.
In 2008, the company launched its rolled mattress, ‘Mattress Now.’ Had they lost their passion for marketing? No way. In 2010, they got marketing again, this time sponsoring ‘American Idol.’
2012 was a big year for Silentnight. Just about everything they did seemed to be new:
- They launched a new brand identity, providing quality sleep solutions for all the family and being a brand people could trust.
- They got a new logo and a new fleet!
- They launched the ‘Healthy Growth’ mattress collection for children.
- They launched the new ‘Mirapocket’ pocket-sprung mattresses.
As if Silentnight weren’t already having a good enough year, they also won their first Which? Award. They’d go on to win ‘Brand of the Year’ in the ‘UK Furniture — Beds’ category at the 2014 World Branding Awards, and in 2017, win a Sustainability Award from the Furniture Makers’ Company.
Still, Manufacturing Exceptional Quality Beds, Picking up Multiple Awards
Silentnight kept on delivering. In 2016, they launched their Anniversary collection; their ‘Sleep Centre’ in-store concept supported the Platinum collection and the Studio collection aimed at younger people. It was also the year they picked up two. Which? ‘Best Buys’ for their Miracoil 1200 mattress and Mattress-Now 3 zone.
They followed this up in 2017 by launching their new Signature collection, a comprehensive range of mattresses, including memory foam, latex, the Eco Comfort range, and more, to suit different preferences. They didn’t stop there and branched out into luxurious, upholstered bed frames, which were all about style, and the Sleep Sofa range, which was only ever about sleep first.
Just how big has Silentnight grown? In 2018, they opened their second flagship showroom
2018, this time at INTU Lakeside. The company now has two, one in the north and one in the south of the UK.
And still, Silentnight kept launching. In 2018, they launched their Safe Nights collection. Safety and quality were the main focus of the design of these mattresses.
Silentnight is a prolific brand and is firmly committed to producing quality products. It’s hard not to love them! Now you know the story, and perhaps you feel tempted to invest in some Silentnight bedding. Feel free to browse the range on our site and buy comfortable bedding that suits you.