Mattress source South Bay targets retail

Company has been OEM supplier of China-made product

David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 29, 2009

POMONA, Calif. — The mattress industry may be in the midst of a sales slowdown, but specialty sleep resource South Bay International sees plenty of opportunities for its line of mattresses and pillows.

Ken Salm shows the Sleep Science pillows offered by South Bay International.

The company, which distributes products manufactured at a 1 million-square-foot factory in China, is targeting the retail arena after years as an OEM supplier to various industries.

And South Bay figures to attract more attention this fall with a new Jane Seymour line of mattresses. The actress and designer stopped by the company's space at the recent High Point Market to check out the line. She put the beds to the test, lying down on several of them as passersby watched her in action.

Home furnishings veteran Ken Salm, South Bay's national sales manager, said the company anticipates sales growth for its sleep products line, which is marketed under the Sleep Science banner.

"We are looking for business partners in each region of the country," Salm said. "We are looking to forge relationships based on mutual profitability. We are targeting furniture stores as well as specialty stores."

The company entered the U.S. residential market with a showing at the Las Vegas Market last year, and followed that up with another showing in Vegas and also showed at the High Point Market this spring.

Salm said South Bay is a U.S.-based company that has a joint venture with a Chinese partner. "An American-owned company is there to support the products," he said. "Retailers don't have to go to China to find the factory. Our factory will come to them."

The company's Sleep Science line consists of "100% pure visco foam," he said. The foam includes no fillers, and the beds are backed with a 20-year warranty. The pillow offerings include zoned and sculptured pillows, in standard and ventilated versions.

The line also includes mattress toppers and a children's line that features colorful ticking. KD foundations, which can be shipped via UPS, also are offered.

The visco foam beds retail from $599 to $2,499 in queen, while two twin extra-long adjustable beds, with a 10-inch visco mattress, retail at about $3,000.

Salm, a 30-year veteran of the home furnishings industry, brings experience at Simmons, La-Z-Boy and Douglas to his role as national sales manager.

"There are new opportunities in this current sales climate for retailers and vendors to work together," he said. "We are looking for retailer partners who want to get through these challenging times by working together with us."