Sealy on expansion spree via franchise route

A US based mattress brand Sealy is looking forward to penetrate in metros and tier-I and II cities pan- India via the franchise route. The targeted cities include Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum and Calicut.

On being asked, why the company chose to follow franchise business model, Puneet Verma, General Manager, Sealy India says: “Being a premium international mattress brand we opted for franchise model as compared to the regular distribution model which is adopted by mass brands. We want to showcase all our range of mattresses where people can experience and decide on the model.” Sealy India has two types of franchise format- gallery and studio. Gallery is approximately 1000-1200 sq. ft in area and 10 models are displayed. The mattress price range in the gallery is Rs 1 -10 lakh. Studio is approximately 500 sq. ft in area and five models are displayed. The mattress price range in the studio is Rs 0.5 - 1.5 lakh.

He further adds: “We look at supporting our franchise gallery/studio at a local level to increase sales; alongside we have introduced domestically assembled range to support the long lead time for the custom sizes and to get better price point.”

Sealy has a long history of making quality beds. The first Sealy mattresses were made in 1881, in a small town called ‘Sealy’ in Texas, USA. In 1950, Sealy introduced its first Sealy Posturepedic brand mattress, the only mattress in the industry that focused on the importance of correct back support, designed in cooperation with Orthopaedic Surgeons. The brand boasts of being the number one choice of bedding with the title of World's No.1 Selling Mattresses for over 30 years. Developed in conjunction with leading orthopaedic surgeons from The USA, Sealy's better sleep technology, infused in their mattresses for back pain, and has been providing superior harmony of support, comfort and durability for over 100 years.

Sealy operates over 200+ galleries/studios across India, China and South East Asia. In India, it started started its operation in May 2012. Brand’s retail range consists of 14 products. The range is segmented to provide defined and logical features and benefits between each product. The entry point of Sealy mattress starts at Rs 58,000 for king size mattress and extends to Rs 9,75,000. The product portfolio also includes pillows and mattress protector.