Big China bed line set
Scott heading U.S. marketing arm
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 31, 2005
Barrington, Ill. — The bedding arena is about to get another "S" producer, this one with a big factory in China and a U.S. marketing arm headed by former Restonic CEO Ed Scott.
Stylution International, a major producer of mattresses, upholstery and case goods in Dongguan, China, will enter the U.S. bedding market this spring with a broad line of Chinese-made innerspring mattresses retailing at $599 and up.
Scott, a 25-year bedding veteran who worked at Sealy and Serta before taking the helm at Restonic for several years, sees a big opportunity.
"With the help of our retail partners, Stylution USA will help break the stranglehold that the major bedding manufacturers have held over the marketplace," Scott said. "Most retailers have to live with undifferentiated products, reduced specifications and inattentive customer service. We offer a clear alternative for retailers."
Jack Chen, the company's founder and major stockholder, is an important figure in the Asian furniture and bedding industries. He has teamed with Scott on the U.S. venture, Stylution USA, headquartered in Barrington.
Chen is chairman of Stylution USA and Scott is CEO and president. The company is a division of Stylution International, which operates a 1 million square foot factory in Dongguan. Founded in 1973, the company moved to Dongguan in 1995 and relocated to a larger factory there in 2003. It makes mattresses, upholstery and case goods in its ISO 9000-certified plant, and has been shipping case goods and upholstery to the U.S. market under various brand names for over five years.
Chen, a former chairman of the Taiwan Furniture Manufacturers Assn., currently is chairman of the Council of Asia Pacific Furniture Assns. He markets Restonic bedding in China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, but Stylution USA is not affiliated with Restonic.
He has sold Restonic in Asia since 1983, and has been a licensee of the German bedding maker Musterring since 1988.
Chen said he and Scott "bring a thorough understanding of how Asian design and production expertise can best meet the needs of the American retail marketplace."
He said his experience serving the U.S. case goods and upholstery markets has given him insights into the U.S. market, including the kinds of bedding popular here, such as pillowtops and foam-encased beds. Chen said he already produces those kinds of products for the Asian market.
Said Scott, "Stylution USA's objective is to use its resources and experience to take advantage of the changing dynamics of the current bedding market in the United States."
Finished samples of the Stylution USA line, featuring a variety of coil constructions, will arrive in the United States in the first week of February for retail presentations. Initial shipments in quantity will begin in May, Scott said.
The mattresses will be warehoused in cities still to be determined. Box springs will be produced in the United States by "a network of contract producers," Scott said. Cut and sew for the box springs will be done in China.
The mattresses will be compressed in size by 60% and vacuum packed for shipment here. Stylution International worked with a leading packaging equipment producer to design a proprietary vacuum-packaging system, Scott said. When unpacked, the mattresses will have "100% recovery in height, performance and appearance," he said.
Stylution International's vertically integrated production facility allows it to offer retailers the innerspring construction best suited to the needs of their marketplace, Scott said. The company produces all its innersprings in house, utilizing encased coil, LFK and Bonnell technology, he said.
The bedding starts at $599 in queen. A triple choice of firmnesses is offered at every price point from $699 to $1,499. The line utilizes visco-elastic foam, latex, wool, camel hair and hypoallergenic fibers. Enhancements include embroidered labels and handles.
All of the beds retailing at $699 and up are foam encased, and utilize tack-and-jump quilting.
All beds will comply with California's new open-flame mattress standard as of Jan. 1, 2006 — "or sooner if required," Scott said. Complete in-store display materials will be available.
The Stylution USA line will be shown at the Dongguan Furniture Fair this March. The factory nearby will be open to interested retailers.
Stylution, a name that combines "style" and "solution," has sold more than 10 million mattresses in its 32-year history, Chen said.
