AMA Warns of Antidumping Petition’s Impact on Industry Retail

April 20, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The antidumping petition filed on March 31, 2020 by Brooklyn Bedding, Corsicana Mattress Company, Elite Comfort Solutions, FXI Inc., Innocor Inc., Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., and Leggett & Platt Incorporated will affect the industry even further.

“If the ITC case rules in favor of the petitioners it will destroy dozens of businesses and negatively impact the American consumer,” said Jeff Child, president of RC Willey Home Furnishings. “At this critical time with the economy under attack by COVID-19, we should be doing all we can to keep people employed and businesses running. Ruling in favor of the petitioners will be a huge loss for the economy and for our consumers.”

Members of the AMA also expect that, if the petition goes through, many customers will not have their needs met, when the wallet of the American consumer needs to stretch further than ever before.

David Wittke, vice president of merchandising for BedMart, said, "Imported mattresses provide value in areas underserved by most domestic manufacturers. This value is critical as we don't only compete for mattress sales, but we compete for the consumer's willingness to spend in our category. Ignoring that need hurts our entire industry."

Jesús Capó, chief information officer of El Dorado Furniture and 2019 president of the Home Furnishings Association worries that his smaller industry partners can’t survive a ruling in favor of the petitioners. He said, “Currently, our mattress buyers have many options so that we may provide our customers with the bedding and mattresses they need at competitive prices. This petition could potentially eliminate more than half our vendors, making it harder to find the right products at a fair value that customers are willing to pay. Larger businesses will survive, but this ITC case will be catastrophic for small and medium-sized businesses in the bedding and mattress industry.”

Chuck Emrick, owner of Mattress Man Stores in North Carolina brought his own perspective to the table. “As a local family-operated business, we would never have survived against the big chains if it were not for the members of the AMA. They offer more than just competitive product line-ups. They provide small businesses with reliable inventory and excellent service. Targeting the AMA is like targeting small businesses.”