Magniflex expanding U.S. dealer base
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, August 3, 2008
New York — Italian bedding producer Magniflex is expanding its distribution in the United States — and around the world.
The high-end Italian bedding producer offers a line of environmentally friendly sleep sets and accessories that is gaining favor with consumers, company officials say.
Magniflex, whose U.S. operations are based here, has added more than a dozen U.S. dealers, including stores in Florida, California, Virginia and Michigan.
"Magniflex is committed to serving the U.S. market, and despite the stronger euro, has maintained consistent pricing on its selection of premium mattresses hand crafted in Italy," said Irwin Pearl, national sales director for Magniflex. "In addition, we are introducing a new lower-priced segment to broaden the appeal of our products so that younger consumers can begin to enjoy the benefits of the brand."
The two new entry-level collections are the Riposo collection and the Buongiorno collection, featuring the company's exclusive Eliosoft water-expanded memory foam cores. Retails start at $999, the first time the company has dropped below the $1,000 price point.
At the other end of the price spectrum, Magniflex has attracted attention with its ultra-high-end offerings. A platinum-fabric mattress retails at $75,000 and is "the most luxurious mattress in the world," the company says. A mattress that features 22-karat gold fibers retails at $24,000 in queen.
Magniflex is supporting its U.S. sales push with its new U.S. sales and distribution arm, Magniflex USA, based here. The company will expand its showroom here at 59 Crosby St. with a new lower level to add retail space, and will remodel the existing store to display an expanded selection of premium sleep sets and accessories.
The company also is growing elsewhere. It has added new showrooms in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, China; Kiev, Ukraine, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. They join existing showrooms in Tokyo, Dubai, New York and Florence.
"While our retailers will continue to sell direct, having our own showrooms in high-traffic areas internationally will expose the brand to more consumers," said Marco Magni, global sales director for Magniflex, and a member of the founding Magni family. "Magniflex's worldwide showrooms allow consumers to browse, try and test our products. We remain committed to our retailers carrying the Magniflex brand as the fastest growth still comes from our dealers."
Company officials say their line of bedding, which includes natural oil-based memory foam offerings, enables consumers to improve the quality of their sleep.
Magniflex ships its mattresses to more than 40 countries. Much of the company's production, which can reach 10,000 mattresses a day, is exported from Italy.
