Eclipse International & Blue Ocean Sleep to Facilitate Opening of Van Vorst Branded Stores in China

Furniture World News Desk on 12/23/2017

The first two dedicated Van Vorst stores will be located in Hunan and Shenzhen, two large Chinese cities with burgeoning luxury goods markets.

Bedding manufacturer Eclipse International and its partner Blue Ocean Sleep recently announced that, in conjunction with an Asian conglomerate, they will open a line of Van Vorst branded retail stores next year that will highlight the historic luxury mattress line. The first two stores are set to open in China in March.

The Van Vorst Studio stores will be run and managed by Van Vorst Partners Ltd. of China, and the first two dedicated stores will be located in Hunan and Shenzhen, two large Chinese cities with burgeoning luxury goods markets. The planned 4,000-square-foot stores are an integral part of the overall strategy to grow the luxury heritage mattress brand in China. In addition to the two stores set for opening, plans call for implementation of an e-commerce platform as well as outreach to traditional full-line department stores in China.

“The Van Vorst brand offers an aspirational look, feel and design that can only be told through a high-end retail experience,” said Stuart Carlitz, president and CEO of Eclipse International. “The Van Vorst Studio stores will allow us to offer that dedicated luxury experience for discriminating consumers.”

The brand-dedicated stores will feature a selection of 14 Van Vorst mattress designs, all manufactured in the North Brunswick, N.J., factory and shipped to China. The high-end, luxury line is priced to retail from $999 to $5,000 in queen in the U.S., and delivers strong brand appeal in a country where consumers have a healthy appetite for American-made goods.

“In addition to the branded stores, we will target Asian retailers that are tired of the commoditization of bedding and want to address an upscale, affluent consumer,” said Mike Malkiewicz, president and founder of Blue Ocean Sleep. “We’ll be delivering made in America product that is completely different for the Asian market that will speak to consumers looking for a luxurious sleep experience.”

Eclipse International and Blue Ocean Sleep partnered in April to resurrect the historic Van Vorst Mattress brand. Since then, the brand has been introduced by Eclipse licensee Luxury Sleep into Southeast Asia through retail giant Harvey Norman in Malaysia and Singapore. The new initiative will expand the Van Vorst brand further into the Asian market.

“With our recent visit to New York, we were extremely impressed with the U.S. team behind Van Vorst,” said Katie Lian, managing associate for Van Vorst China. “The product collections were amazing and very competitive, and we look forward to introducing Van Vorst to Chinese consumers who value American craftsmanship.”

More about Eclipse International: Based in North Brunswick, N.J., Eclipse International has been making mattresses since 1905, and Eastman House was founded in 1866 and is the oldest, continuous mattress manufacturer in the U.S.A cornerstone brand of Bedding Industries of America, the company is a leader in advanced sleep systems crafted with high quality components, including latex, memory foam, gel and eco-friendly materials. Known for its design innovation, Eclipse holds a number of patents that deliver superb support throughout the product line. Today, the company has 60 licensees, 16 in the U.S., two in Canada and 42 overseas servicing 65 countries or provinces. For more information, visit www.EclipseMattress.com.

More about Blue Ocean Sleep: Blue Ocean Sleep is a highly innovative mattress company, which pairs American luxury design with reliable German engineering. Brothers Mike and Jim Malkiewicz founded the company in 2010, after spending more than 30 years in the bedding industry running Wickline Bedding. At Wickline, the Malkiewicz brothers developed the first no turn mattress in the United States, influencing mattress designs worldwide. Blue Ocean Sleep works in cooperation with a leading bedding manufacturer in Germany, Breckle Matrazen, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. For more information, visit www.cbvanvorst.com.