Excel expanding offerings of Chinese bedding
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 28, 2007
Las Vegas — Excel Bedding, a leader in bringing Chinese-made mattresses into the U.S. market, continues to expand its offerings, add distribution and look for ways to give its dealers more profit dollars.
Retailers are getting a look at Excel's latest Chinese offerings at the market here. The company is showing in the Specialty Sleep Assn. Show in Pavilion 3. Retails start at $299 for a queen set and top out around $1,699.
Ira Leibowitz, vice president of Excel, based in Edison, N.J., says the quality of Chinese bedding remains on the upswing.
"No question," he said, "the bedding being produced in China continues to improve. Mattresses featuring high-end components still deliver strong value, as do the more promotional styles.
"Component prices, including steel, memory foam and latex, remain very affordable. Ticking has improved, and we feel the beds continue to rival their domestic counterparts in appearance, comfort and longevity," he said.
Leibowitz began bringing Chinese bedding into the United States in 2002. For a while he represented Xilinmen, one of China's largest bedding producers, in the U.S. market. His current Chinese source of choice is Jinling Bedding.
"Although we've been importing Chinese-produced beds since 2002, we've still only scratched the surface," Leibowitz said. "Growth continues not only from new business, but in expanding our presence on the retailer's floor. We've been asked on a number of occasions, 'What else do you have?' That's when I know our programs are working well, especially given the fierce domestic competition."
This year, he plans to expand distribution in the eastern half of the United States.
"We've expanded into the Midwest and continue to post strong sales growth in Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii," he said. "In 2007 we're planning to expand distribution into the Southeast, Gulf Coast and upper Midwest."
Excel compresses a number of its Chinese beds for shipment to the United States, thereby saving on freight costs. Leibowitz said China has made "huge advances" in packaging technology. Excel is now able to ship more than 200 compressed queen innerspring mattresses in a container that once held 58 un-compressed queen mattresses.
"This represents over a 70% decrease in ocean freight," Leibowitz said.
Excel is showing eight sets of bedding in Las Vegas. The line begins with an 8.5-inch tufted encased coil mattress that retails at $299 for a set in queen. That's the company's market special.
Excel also is showing its BioLogic line of memory foam beds, including the 10-inch starter with a medium feel that is the company's best seller. Two step-up models also are being shown, a 12-inch pillowtop and a 12-inch tighttop, both with five inches of five-pound memory foam, on a 4-inch "transition" core that is a blend of visco-elastic foam and latex.
Both beds have quilted cotton jacquard ticking with chenille borders. Retails range from $1,599 to $1,699.
The company also is showing a foam-encased air-filled mattress that features a Eurotop design topped with a block of high-density memory foam beneath the quilt. Assembly time is less than 10 minutes. The mattress ships in one box.
This 12-inch bed, which meets the new federal mattress flammability standard, retails between $1,499 and $1,599, Leibowtiz said.
Excel is also showing three beds with foam-encased encased coil units. Comfort materials include memory foam and latex.
The company is displaying several mattresses on a KD steel foundation called the Smart Base. The unit assembles in minutes, can be shipped via UPS or FedEx Ground, and offers retail prices competitive with standard industry models, Leibowitz said.
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