Blue Ocean Allies With Germany's Breckle Matrazen

February 20, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on February 21, 2012

Bedding vendor Blue Ocean Sleep has formed a partnership with Breckle Matrazen, Germany's largest bedding manufacturer.

Together, the bedding producers plan to maximize their business opportunities in Europe and the United States with an eye towards expanding into the Australian and Asian markets in late 2012.

The partners have already started to develop and introduce new global sleep products focused on the foam mattress market, combining the best of German engineering with American luxury. Back in 2008, San Diego-based Blue Ocean Sleep's founders, Mike and Jim Malkiewicz, predicted a dramatic shift in consumer preference for foam mattresses rather than spring. In addition, they foresaw a move away from traditional western assembly methods toward European foam construction and design. That prompted the Malkiewicz brothers to develop a unique core design in Europe specifically for the U.S. consumer.

€œThe timing for our partnership couldn€™t be better.Breckle Matrazen has long been a leader in foam mattress construction within Europe," said Blue Ocean Sleep President Jim Malkiewicz. "Combine that with Blue Ocean's experience, unique designs, and the increasing demand for foam sleep systems in the United States--it just made good business sense to confirm our partnership now."
 
"We are excited about working together with Jim and Mike and the Blue Ocean Sleep team," said Breckle Matrazen President Michael Breckle. "They bring a fresh perspective on American luxury to the European market. Coupled with our ability to provide the German engineering for which we are well known, this is a win-win for both companies."

As part of the new partnership, Blue Ocean Sleep has introduced The Activcor Advanced Comfort System, a  foam mattress construction not seen before in the United States. Taking its cue from a combination of athletic shoes and luxury automobiles, Blue Ocean and Breckle Matrazan spent 18 months developing technology for bedding inspired by the same enhanced cushioning systems and foam chemistry used by worldwide leading manufacturers.

"Our innovative design, taking something old and making it new again, really speaks to the advanced technology of popular athletic shoes along with the core chemistry which is consistent with the dynamic foam performance found in the seat cushions of the most prestigious German luxury and sports car brands," said Blue Ocean Sleep Vice President Mike Malkiewicz. "We understood the impact that a chemical supplier can have on the creation of comfort and support in our mattresses."

Activcor was first marketed under the brand name of La Pur throughout Europe. It is German engineered and has a U.S. design patent pending. It has a solid-state, molded foam construction with the same performance characteristics as a foam encased pocket spring system. Foam columns, which act like pocket springs, are engineered to absorb motion and to provide defined body support.

"Our strategy was to release Activcor in Europe first, knowing that Europeans generally favor foam mattresses over spring," said Malkiewicz. "After seeing our marketing message resonate with consumers and successfully competing with all other foam products throughout Europe, we knew we had developed the perfect product for the U.S. market."