Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
Royal-Pedic to Open 3 South Africa Stores
May 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Mattresses on May 2, 2012
Mattress manufacturer Royal-Pedic is expanding internationally, planning three stores in South Africa and additional locations in the Middle East.
Royal-Pedic has signed a licensing agreement with Zamhat Trading Ltd. of Cape Town, South Africa, that will result in the first shop opening in suburban Johannesburg by the end of the year. Once the first store opens its doors, additional locations will be selected in South Africa. All the shops will have a similar look and feel to Royal-Pedic's signature retail store location in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Theres an elite group of people in South Africa who are interested in luxury goods, but they often must travel abroad to purchase them, said Royal-Pedic CEO, Tony Kelemen. More manufacturers are recognizing the opportunity in this emerging market and high-end producers are beginning to come to them. We see this as Royal-Pedics chance to get in at the ground level to target an underserved niche market--its an extraordinary opportunity for growth.
All stores established by Zamhat Trading Ltd. will bear the Royal-Pedic name and offer a full spectrum of Royal-Pedic products, including its Natural Organic Collection and at select locations, its top of the line Dream Spring Mattress Collection. Modeled after the Beverly Hills shop, the overseas locations include top-of-bed items such as linens, pillows, and comforters, with 10 to 15 mattresses on the showroom floors.
The company does anticipate making some design alterations to its products in order to accommodate overseas preferences, including adjusting mattress sizes and adding wooden legs to mattress foundations as preferred in South Africa. Zamhat Trading Ltd. first approached Royal-Pedic in 2011 about exploring a partnership.
All Royal-Pedic products sold abroad will continue to be manufactured at the companys Wilmington, Calif., facility. The company anticipates hiring more employees as stores open abroad and demand increases.
Luxury consumers in these emerging markets want the panache of owning a product that is made in America. By continuing our tradition of hand-crafting exceptional mattresses in Southern California, we give consumers the authentic product theyre looking for, while ensuring the quality expected of all products bearing the Royal-Pedic name, said Kelemen.
Royal-Pedics agreement also calls for potential expansion into other African countries as well. Meanwhile, the first Middle Eastern location is projected to open in 2013.