The American Mattress Alliance Responds to Petition to Bar Imported Mattresses

April 7, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

News agencies are reporting that beds are one of the most essential medical devices hospitals need now. COVID-19 projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation indicate American hospitals will not have 87,674 hospital beds and 19,863 intensive care unit beds in time to save lives.

The U.S. corporations filing the petition include Brooklyn Bedding, Corsicana Mattress Company, Elite Comfort Solutions, FXI Inc., Innocor Inc., Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., and Leggett & Platt Incorporated. The petitioners are suppliers and producers for major mattress brands such as Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Simmons, Sealy, Casper, Purple, Tuft & Needle and others.

The petition aims to bar the mattresses—under a number of HTS codes including 9404.21—by imposing insurmountable tariffs up to 1,008 percent. Seven developing countries were targeted: Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Serbia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia—representing 83.3 percent of all mattress imports in the U.S in 2020.

This global crisis is the worst possible time for corporate power moves to increase market share. Imported mattresses make up a significant percentage of beds in hospitals. And American importers need to continue offering beds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we shut down the supply of hospital beds, the immediate effect would be catastrophic as more and more hospitals and emergency centers are calling out for more beds,” said Michael Roizen, MD, emeritus chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic. “We are in this for the long run and should be planning for additional peaks later this year and into the future.”

If this ITC case reaches the preliminary hearing on April 21, it ends U.S. importers’ ability to supply mattresses to help throughout the pandemic.

Ashley Furniture VP of International Sourcing Operations and Regulatory Affairs Brian Adams stated, “The coronavirus is battering the U.S. economy and endangering American jobs. Now my industry is fighting a new battle against an antidumping case targeting seven countries that make up a small, but critical 22 percent of U.S. mattresses market. It’s disheartening that these corporations are actively working to limit incoming mattresses that are so crucial to fighting COVID-19 and saving lives.”

Importers affected by the petition include Ashley Furniture, City Furniture, Rooms to Go, Wayfair, Ikea, Maven, Malouf, Dorel, Zinus and others. Click here to see the complete list. 

Sam Malouf, CEO of Malouf, added, “We were slapped in the face with this petition that is working against us as we race to get beds in hospitals. We don’t need this distraction. We don’t need to be pulled from the front lines. We need this ITC case stalled now. We need to focus on the crisis at hand.”

Maven is currently supplying thousands of beds to hospitals and crisis centers across the country. Maven has distribution channels in place for overnight and two-day fulfillment across North America to get beds in hospitals and emergency centers immediately.

Steve Douglas, vice president of operations for Maven, stated, “These petitioners are willing to put American lives at risk for their personal gain. It is abusive. It is immoral.”

To learn more about the American Mattress Alliance and this issue, visit americanmattressalliance.org. Companies interested in joining the Alliance can contact Bryce Larsen at 929-335-4653 or bryce.larsen@americanmattressalliance.org.