Kluft opens three more mattress stores in China

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 29, 2012

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — High-end American mattress manufacturer E.S. Kluft & Co. says it has opened three more stores in China, for a total of six, and plans two more before the end of this year.

Those stores are just the beginning of Kluft's aspirations in China, officials said. To meet the demand for American luxury mattresses, Kluft and its Chinese partner, Eternal Sleep Limited, say they plan to expand into every first-tier and second-tier city in China over the next few years.

Kluft opened its first retail locations in China in 2011 in Shanghai and Beijing, in partnership with Eternal Sleep Limited, best known as China's largest supplier of mattresses to five-star hotels.

Exclusively selling Aireloom by Kluft and E.S. Kluft & Co. brands, Eternal Sleep has opened two stores in Xian in central China and one in Shenzhen, outside of Hong Kong. The decision to expand was based the success of the first stores, officials said.

"Our expansion in China is very exciting for us and proves that we've created a thriving showroom space that's exceeding our customers' expectations," said Earl Kluft, president and CEO of E.S. Kluft & Co. "I attribute that success to our ability to take a luxurious American-made product and adapt it to the Chinese market.

"In fact, we spent the first 90 days of operation in 2011 really listening to customer feedback, which prompted us to alter about 25% of our selection to meet the needs of select Chinese clientele looking for firmer and lower-profile mattresses," Kluft said. "With those tweaks made, we were ready to replicate the store model beyond Shanghai and Beijing."

All products continue to be manufactured in Kluft's California plant and exported to China. The pricing for the products is $3,500 to $50,000.

Previously Kluft has licensed the company's brands in other countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Mexico, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.