Canada's Zedbed expanding business to the U.S. market

Eco-friendly bedding source targets Top 100 retailers, chains

David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 28, 2009

GRAND-MERE, Quebec — Bedding producer Zedbed, operating out of a 25,000-square-foot factory here, is expanding its business to the United States.

Claude Boisvert, left, Mario Gelinas and Pascal Labrecque, all of Zedbed, in the company’s new High Point Market showroom.

Company officials say there is room in the sprawling U.S. market for a company like theirs, which produces a line of eco-friendly bedding.

The family owned company, which has experienced significant growth in the Canadian market in recent years, believes it can repeat that pattern in the United States.

"Our goal is to be a dynamic player in the U.S. market," said Pascal Labrecque, U.S. business development manager. "We feel that our Zedbed mattresses, with refined lines, fresh looks, customized quilting and a variety of ticking, offer prospective dealers tremendous value for a range of mid- to high-end bedding products."

New from the company is a green latex product line, featuring three models with price points ranging from $1,499 to $2,499. Also new is the ZCloud collection, a hybrid mattress made from the company's Enviro foam, which has been modified to offer a comfort level closer to a latex mattress, officials said.

Zedbed has shown its line at the Las Vegas and High Point Markets, including the most recent High Point event, where the company took a showroom in the bedding area on the fifth floor of the Main wing in the International Home Furnishings Center.

The company produces its own memory foam and is able, through the use of specialized machinery, to customize quilting patterns directly on up to three inches of soy-based memory foam or latex. Zedbed uses a number of types of mattress ticking, ranging from bamboo-based material to organic cotton.

The new eco-friendly latex models and the soy-based foams represent "a step toward helping conserve the environment," Labrecque said.

The company's product offerings include soy-based memory foam pillows, a product that retailers should be carrying to boost their sales tickets, according to Labrecque.

Zedbed follows a policy in Canada of selective distribution, and aims to operate in a similar fashion in the U.S., officials said. The company is targeting Top 100 furniture stores and some bedding chains.

"We hired experienced U.S. sales representatives in the latter part of 2008 and we are quite confident about our ability to develop new business for Zedbed this year," Labrecque said.