Flex Group Acquires Marshall Mattress

Furniture World News Desk on 1/17/2019

The Flex Group also owns the Vispring, the E.S. Kluft & Co. and Aireloom brands.

The Flex Bedding Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sleep products, announced that it  has acquired luxury bedding brand Marshall Mattress. Under terms of the transaction, all 35 Marshall employees will remain with the company, and its 50,000-square-foot local manufacturing and distribution center will continue operations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sharan Anisman and Brad Warner, whose family has owned and managed Marshall since 1965, will remain with the company during the transition process. Eric Warner will remain with the company to handle marketing. Flex said it would be making an investment in additional management and resources to grow Marshall’s business in North America.

For Flex, the transaction further solidifies the company’s leadership role in the worldwide luxury sleep products sector, particularly in North American, where Marshall will join E.S. Kluft & Co. brands, Kluft and Aireloom and the British Vispring.

“The heritage, know-how and reputation of Marshall fit well with the core values of our group. We plan to invest in the brand and expect Marshall to reach great heights,” said Flex Group CEO Rafael Gonzalez. “We will help enhance customer relationships with more product development and other brands in the group.”

“The Marshall legacy and patented pocketed spring technology will continue to thrive with the Flex Group,” said Brad Warner, president of Marshall Mattress. We have had the pleasure of developing a relationship with Rafa and his team over several years, and we are confident they are the right company to further build and grow the Marshall brand.”

Founded in 1900 by machinist and engineer James Marshall, Marshall Mattress is best known for its handcrafted luxury pocket coil mattress collections. Marshall invented and patented the original Marshall Pocket Coil, the first independent spring system designed to provide a unique, optimum, comfort and support environment for sleep.  The company pairs luxurious materials – such as cotton wrapped and individually-sewn pocket coils, natural New Zealand wool, pure cotton and finely woven Belgian damask fabric – with new technologies, and quality manufacturing.

With its three trademark brands – Bespoke by Marshall®, SleepMaker® and Rest Assured® – Marshall Mattress offers six collections of one and two-sided mattresses – all handcrafted with the exclusive Marshall patented pocket spring core and the highest quality materials.  Marshall Mattresses range in price from $1,799 to $15,000 USD in queen size and are sold at select retailers throughout Canada such as Hudson’s Bay, Decorium and Art Shoppe and are featured at boutique hotels in North America.

More about the Flex Group: Founded in 1912, The Flex Group is the world’s top 10 global sleep products producer. It commands market leadership positions in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States and is selling its products all over the world in more than 50 countries. The company is comprised of nine manufacturing companies with a total of 12 production centers, three retail chains and 115 showrooms in seven countries. It produces more than 1 million mattresses annually and has revenue of more than $400 million.

In the luxury segment, Flex made its first move in 2005 with the acquisition of the Vispring brand. Since that time, it has grown the company’s business throughout Europe, North America, Middle East and China. The business grew from a primarily U.K.-based brand into a company where export sales now represent 45-percent of sales and its products are sold in 40 countries.

Since acquiring the E.S. Kluft & Co. and Aireloom brands in 2013, Flex strengthened its marketing, led a geographic expansion in the East with a newer and larger plant, and pushed for international expansion that now logs sales from three continents. Over the last five years, sales have more than doubled and profits have tripled.