Stressless Launches Redesigned Royal Recliner to Mark 50th Anniversary

April 21, 2022  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The recliner is now available in North America. By reimagining a true classic, Stressless is commemorating a half-century of balanced comfort. Over 10 million Stressless seats have been sold since 1971.

"There's a reason it all started 50 years ago in Norway, where Scandinavian nature and culture bring out the best in technology," said Beverly Kastel, Stressless marketing director for North America. "Together, human insight and advanced robotics have created a product that's the most comfortable furniture on Earth—the Stressless recliner."

North America comprises the largest market for Ekornes with 25% of global sales volume. In 2021, the 50th anniversary year, Stressless recorded the highest annual sales in the company's history, according to Kastel. 

The Stressless brand has evolved over 50 years—launching the first Stressless recliner in 1971 and introducing sofas in 1993. The Stressless home theater collection was born in 2003, followed by Stressless' latest innovations including the Stressless Mary & Emily sofas, and Mike and Max recliners with Power in 2020.  

The longest selling model in the Stressless collection, the Stressless Royal was originally introduced in 1981. It was the first Stressless recliner with the hourglass-shaped base in laminated wood. The company made some aesthetic adjustments to improve the iconic design without compromising the unmistakable comfort of the Stressless Royal. As it does with all its furniture, Stressless put emphasis on sustainability when creating the new recliner, using materials and manufacturing processes that have a low environmental impact. Signature curves and retro stitching define the design, making it the perfect anniversary model. Stressless has enhanced the chair with the original base and steel structure inspired by the very first Stressless Original back in 1971.

Now through May 31, Customers receive $300 off the recliner in all Paloma leather colors at their closest Stressless dealer.  To celebrate the launch, Stressless is also giving away one Royal recliner to a lucky winner of its Live Royally Sweepstakes  on Facebook. Participants can comment on the Ekornes Facebook post with the name or image of a chair in their home they would like to replace with a new Stressless Royal recliner and include the hashtags #StresslessSweepstakes and #LiveRoyally. The Sweepstakes runs through Friday, May 13 and one lucky winner will be randomly drawn in late May.