Serta's largest licensee acquires British Columbia plant

David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 20, 2013

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Serta International Holdco., which owns the largest U.S. Serta licensee, has acquired the stock of Western Sleep Products Ltd., a Serta licensee in British Columbia, and is expanding its presence in Canada.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition was made by Serta International subsidiary Star Bedding Products. Serta International is also the parent of National Bedding, the largest U.S. Serta licensee.

With the acquisition, Serta International now owns three factories in Canada. Western Sleep's plant is in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Western Sleep has been servicing British Columbia and Alberta as a Serta licensee since 1972. Longtime employee Denis Jones will maintain a senior management role with the company, and Serta said it anticipates that other employees will remain with Western Sleep.

Delivery and service to local retailers will continue without interruption, Serta officials said.

"The acquisition of Western Sleep will help Serta International continue its path of significant growth in the Canadian market," said Jim Nation, president of Serta International's Canadian operations. "We look forward to working with the management team to grow the Serta brand in Canada, while continuing to provide the highest level of service to our retail partners."

Serta International Holdco, through its subsidiaries National Bedding Company and Star Bedding Products, is the largest licensee of Serta Inc., with 18 manufacturing plants in the United States and three in Canada. National Bedding has the primary responsibility for leading the brands of Serta, including Perfect Sleeper, iComfort, iSeries, Perfect Day and Sertapedic, and its portfolio of licensed products.