ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Fueled largely by strong gains in the specialty sleep arena, a sample of bedding producers reported a 4.2% gain in unit sales in September and a 4.7% increase in the dollar value of bedding shipments, compared with September 2009.

The International Sleep Products Assn.'s September Bedding Barometer report, which presents the results of 20 large producers, shows that bedding units were up 8.5% year to date through September while bedding dollars were up 8%, compared with the year-earlier period.

Those gains have been sparked by a sizzling year-to-date performance for the specialty sleep segment. Specialty sleep mattress units are up 33.1% through September, while the dollar value of those units is up 29.5%.

Innerspring mattress units are up 8.3% through September, ISPA said, while the dollar value of those innerspring mattress units is up 2.7%.

The results reflect the performance of 20 bedding producers who account for about 64% of U.S. unit sales and about 73% of the dollar value of shipments, ISPA said.

Reflecting a tough promotional climate, the ISPA report said that the average unit price of innerspring mattresses was 1.7% lower this September than it was a year earlier and was down 5.2% for the first nine months of the year. The average unit price of specialty mattresses was down 4.5% in September and 2.6% for the first nine months, ISPA said.