Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Spring Air Exceeds 50% Sales Growth in 2021
March 1,
2022 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Mattress manufacturer Spring Air International has reported $118 million in sales for 2021. The number is 51-percent higher than the $78 million achieved in 2020 and was the strongest for the licensee network in 15 years.
The company attributes the success to its ability to fill a void with retailers of all sizes that were not being serviced by other manufacturers because of pandemic-related issues with their supply chains. In addition, the success is also attributed to the strength of Spring Air’s licensee network, which produces mattresses in nearly 50 countries around the world.
“When some manufacturers had trouble keeping up with spikes in demand, retailers looked to us to fill the gap and we delivered. This was a tremendous team effort of our licensees and corporate management working together seamlessly to benefit our customers,” said Nick Bates, president of Spring Air International.
Bates highlighted many of the achievements of the group at a meeting of its nine U.S. and Canadian licensees held at the end of 2021 in Boston. At the time of the meeting, final sales numbers were not yet complete.
He attributed the dramatic growth to several key factors, but most notably that licensees in the group work together as a team. Several years ago, the brand formed a number of licensee committees that focused on a variety of topics like product design, marketing and quality. Many of its new products, such as the re-designed Chattam & Wells, and the Nature’s Choice program grew out of these committees.
Several new licensees were signed and expanded in 2021, leaving only five states available for new additions. Existing licensees are currently servicing all parts of the country.
Another key advantage the network had was that its New England licensee, Fall River, Massachusetts-based U.S. Bedding opened a new 146,000-square-foot factory and started making its own innersprings, which they were able to share with colleagues. This added to network capacity and helped stem shortages that were common in the industry at this time.
“We have created something really special with our licensees that is translating into amazing results for our group. We envision that this momentum, coupled with new innovations planned in 2022, will fuel this engine well into the coming years,” added Bates.