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EDISON, N.J. — EDISON, N.J.— Retail interest is high. The beds are right for the U.S. market. And the prices are sharp — 25% better than the competition.
Those factors will help unleash a wave of Chinese-made bedding on the U.S. market, says Ira Leibowitz, vice president of U.S. bedding maker Excel Bedding, based here.
Leibowitz last year unveiled plans to bring in Chinese mattresses. He admits it's taken longer to put the program together than he expected. But he's continued making trips to his Chinese partner, Xilinmen Group Ltd., a diversified furniture and bedding producer in Shaoxing.
Chinese factory expanding
Xilinmen currently is producing 500,000 beds per year and is in the midst of a major expansion that will double that figure by later this year, according to Leibowitz.
Not all of that production is geared for the U.S. market, of course. The Xilinmen Group already ships to several countries around the world and is a major supplier to the Chinese market.
But Leibowitz said his partner, for whom Excel is the exclusive sales agent in the United States, wants significant U.S. volume.
The bedding facility, part of the ISO 9001 company's sprawling complex south of Shanghai, is stocked with "some of the most modern equipment" in a bedding factory anywhere in the world, Leibowitz said. "It's a very modern facility," he said. "If I were to set up a bedding factory in the United States, I would pattern it after them."
Xilinmen pours its own foam, makes its own innersprings and has an interest in a Chinese textile mill, Leibowitz said. And the company knows how to put it all together. "The quality of the bedding is as good as or better than anything I've seen in the United States," he said.
The bedding will carry the Excel Bedding brand in this country.
Excel's Chinese adventure has not been without its challenges. The first beds produced for the U.S. market were extremely firm, a good thing in China but not right for comfort-loving Americans. The line has been revamped to meet the feels sought by U.S. consumers.
Excel, which recently moved its factory and warehouse from Newark to Edison, the city named after the inventor of the light bulb, figures Chinese-made mattresses are a bright idea for U.S. retailers.
"Most retailers are realizing that Chinese-made bedding will have an impact," Leibowitz said. "They are now wondering who they are going to be working with. They are aware that the 'S' brands are not always a safe bet and that other options do exist. And they are aware that if they act now the right factory is available to them."
That would be the Xilinmen factory, in his view. That producer knows how to put together powerful bedding lines for heavy-hitting retailers, Leibowitz said, noting that Xilinmen is a major bedding supplier to Ikea around the world.
N.Y. retailers successful
With its new 30,000-square-foot factory and warehouse in Edison, Excel can ship to the Eastern third of the United States. The company has sales representatives in place for key Midwestern states and New England. Door-to-door container programs are available for the rest of the country.
Excel already has shipped Chinese-made mattresses to New York-area retailers. "They have had very good success with it," Leibowitz said. He declined to reveal the names of the retailers.
Private-label programs are available for large U.S. retailers, he said, and two already have signed on.
Retailers participating in Excel's container program have the option of receiving both Chinese-made mattresses and low-profile wood platform bases, fabric-covered units with 12 slats that Leibowitz calls "very durable." Those bases have pocketed handles that provide consumers with handy space for storage. The low-profile unit makes it easier for consumers to get in and out of bed and is the perfect complement to thick mattresses, he said.
The heart of Excel's offering is the innerspring lineup, which encompasses four different units:
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A high-profile (7.5 inches), high coil-count Bonnell.
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A high-profile (7 inches), high coil-count Bonnell that is foam encased.
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A coil-on-coil unit in a single-sided foam-encased model.
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A foam-encased unit featuring individually wrapped coils.
The mattresses, which range in height from 11 to 18 inches, are offered in tighttop, pillowtop and boxtop styles and offer a choice of firmnesses.
Leibowitz said the high coil-count lines will last longer than competitors' innerspring lines and provide more support. Since the coils are higher than many other coils on the market today, the mattresses require less filling material. Thus, he said, "there is less chance of body impressions."
Retails range from $499 to $899 for queen sets. Leibowitz estimated those prices are 25% less than for comparable U.S.-made bedding lines.
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