TRINITY, N.C., Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Sealy Corporation , through its Chinese joint venture, announced the recent opening of its first production facility in China. The joint venture, Sealy China, is jointly owned and operated by Sealy, Inc. and a licensee, Sealy Australia. The new 100,000 square foot factory outside of Shanghai represents a milestone for Sealy China and underscores Sealy's long-term commitment to the Chinese market. This action further reinforces the company's strategy to expand in high growth international markets.
"We are very pleased to open this new production facility and believe we are well positioned to grow the Sealy brand in this dynamic market," said Larry Rogers, Sealy president and CEO. "Sealy now has a robust and growing distribution network of 20 retail stores in 16 major Chinese cities and our long-term objective is to build Sealy into the number one bedding brand in China."
"In addition to producing bedding for Chinese consumers, this new plant will also manufacture mattresses and foundations for our contract hospitality business in Mainland China," said Simon Dyer, Sealy of Australia CEO and Sealy China General Manager. "Our next step is to open a Research & Development Center in Shanghai in early 2011, which would be Sealy's first research facility in Asia and will enable Sealy China to develop new products specifically for Chinese consumers and better serve our dealers and consumers in the region."
Sealy China has been operating retail outlets and distributing imported Sealy products since early 2009. The expansion and building of this production facility is the culmination of successful retailer relationships and partnerships as well as early retail successes in the Chinese market.
About Sealy
Sealy is the largest bedding manufacturer in the world with sales of $1.3 billion in fiscal 2009. The Company manufactures and markets a broad range of mattresses and foundations under the Sealy(R), Sealy Posturepedic(R), Sealy Embody (TM), Stearns & Foster(R), and Bassett(R) brands. Sealy operates 25 plants in North America, and has the largest market share and highest consumer awareness of any bedding brand on the continent. In the United States, Sealy sells its products to approximately 3,000 customers with more than 7,000 retail outlets. Sealy is also a leading supplier to the hospitality industry. For more information, please visit http://www.sealy.com/.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Terms such as "expect," "believe," "continue," and "grow," as well as similar comments, are forward-looking in nature. Although the Company believes its growth plans are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurances that such expectations can be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include: general business and economic conditions, competitive factors, raw materials purchasing, and fluctuations in demand. Please refer to the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings for further information.
Sealy Corporation
CONTACT: Mark D. Boehmer, VP & Treasurer, Sealy Corporation,
+1-336-862-8705
Web Site: http://www.sealy.com/
