SHELTON, CT – Latex International signed a letter of intent to purchase the balance of Pure LatexBLISS LLC by the end of September.
Pure LatexBLISS founders Kurt Ling and Joe Hunt will continue to be involved with the leadership of the brand. Latex International will continue to actively pursue its OEM business in North America with its key manufacturing and factory direct partners. Latex International currently does business in 60 countries around the world. The acquisition allows them to accelerate the growth of the mattress, topper and pillow brand, and better position latex in the industry.
“In the past two years, Pure LatexBLISS has become one of the fastest growing luxury mattress brands in the world, doing business in six countries. The brand has proven to be a successful alternative for retailers to maintain high tickets and increase margin dollars of specialty bedding consumers who are ready to spend $2,000 to $3,000 on a mattress but don’t like the feel of memory foam,” said Latex International President and CEO Dave Fisher. “The latex industry needs a stable of strong brands to sit across from successful memory foam on retail floors, and retailers need more profitable alternatives in the specialty sleep market. We believe that Pure LatexBLISS is a ‘pure’ stallion in our sector.”
“Latex International has been a tremendous supporter of our company since inception. This deal is good for us personally and professionally. It allows Pure LatexBLISS to go to the next level to service retailers and consumers,” said Ling.
Pure LatexBLISS was founded in 2009. Latex International bought a 51 percent stake in the company in the fall of 2010, and this transaction will bring its ownership interest to 100 percent, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary. As a part of this new direction, following its success with it’s direct to retail pillow business, Latex International will transition from its Rejuvenite line to Pure LatexBLISS branding.
“Latex deserves to be at the forefront of the specialty sleep category. This is its time. I am certain that the consumer education, retail sales training, and stature of Latex as a category will be raised as Pure LatexBLISS continues to succeed, no differently that what has happened in the memory foam category. We will continue to look to invest in key strategic partners who understand and are passionate about the benefits of talalay latex,” added Fisher.
“Pure LatexBLISS has been an important component of our merchandising and our success,” said Steve Lytell of Mattress Xpress. “They have been an integral part of our floor in a big way since they started and I believe this change will help them service us better by being fully integrated under the Latex International umbrella.”
Bill Twelves of Olum’s Furniture in Upstate New York added, “Pure LatexBLISS is one of the greatest recent success stories of the mattress industry. They have built a product that is very different, easy to sell and provides margins that are unlike anything else on the floor because of the business model they use. It is exciting to watch them expand and step into this next chapter.”
For more information, please visit www.latexbliss.com or www.latexinternational.com.
About Pure LatexBLISS: Since its founding, Pure LatexBLISS was a sales and marketing company using contract manufacturers and logistics partners. The Pure LatexBLISS team initially included only four people, all friends who had worked together at Simmons. They have expanded from one fabrication site and warehouse in Atlanta, to four fabrication sites with regional distribution centers in France, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta and Portland (OR). Pure LatexBLISS sells the largest sleep shop chains in the United States, France, and the most premier sleep shop chain in the United Kingdom as well as Selfridges, the famed department store chain.
About Latex International: Founded in 1975, Latex International is the world’s largest manufacturer of latex mattresses and pillows. Latex sleep products provide a unique feel of comfort and support by gently conforming to body contours, which provide a naturally resilient and healthy sleep environment. More than 200 employees produce mattress cores, toppers and pillow buns utilizing both the Talalay molding and Dunlop continuous flow process from manufacturing and fabrication centers in Shelton, CT; Wichita Falls, TX and Harrogate, England.
