Member Article

Behind the business with The English Mattress Company

Lancashire-based firm, The English Mattress Company, is a fifth generation family business, and has been making mattresses since 1889. Bdaily spoke to sales direction, Andrew Hill, to go behind the business.

What does your business do?

The English Mattress Company (TEMCo) custom make and build luxury mattresses from scratch and can create pretty much any size or shape under the sun, from extra long or circular to fit a unique bed to luxury pet bed mattresses. TEMCo uses some of the most advanced materials to make their mattresses, combining the best of the new with the techniques and expertise that have taken more than 120 years to perfect.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

The steady increase in the cost of raw materials such as cotton has had a big impact on our margins over the past few years. The market for mattresses generally has contracted because of the increasing number of imported products, which may offer a cheaper alternative. That was one of the reasons we decided to create a company that celebrated the real craft of English mattress making that we’ve been perfecting for the past 123 years.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

In spite of the global recession, increased costs and a contracting market we have still managed to grow our core business of filling products such as mattresses, sofa fillings and pillows for major retailers including John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. We’ve worked hard to build our reputation for our high quality products and service and that has really helped us to retain and grow our customer base.

What is your most important focus for the next year and what do you hope to achieve?

For 2013 we have to drive costs down for our business, which we plan to do through the introduction of a program of sustainable cost efficiency measures which includes everything from working smarter, energy reduction to recycling. This is not a time for the company to rest on its laurels, it is proactive and is working on a number of expansion and modernization projects which will ensure the company’ sustained growth through the next decade.

What are the most important changes/ innovations in business at the moment and how will your company handle them?

We launched The English Mattress Company in direct response to shifting consumer shopping patterns – we all want to browse and buy online now. This is our opportunity to show consumers the expertise, workmanship and attention to detail that go into making a truly luxury mattress and we’re able to combine traditional values and expertise with cutting edge design, technology and online availability.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .