Leesa sleeps well on expansion plans
LEESA, the US manufacturer and online retailer of memory foam mattresses, has started production in the UK as part of its European expansion plans.
Leesa mattresses plan to expand their markets into Europe
The firm, which started shipping to customers in Britain in the summer, has teamed up with local firms in Glossop, Derbyshire, to make its mattresses, and Greater Manchester for the covers.
It plans to use the UK as a stepping stone into northern European markets.
The mattress firm has been backed by Maroon 5's Adam Levine
People pay a lot for a mattress but don’t really know why – the industry has relied on a lot of smoke and mirrors
Leesa’s mattresses were launched in the US in January and it is on track to achieve sales of $30 million (£19.5 million) in its first year, according to the firm’s founder David Wolfe.
During the summer, Leesa received $9 million (£5.9 million) in funding from venture capital group Titlecard, which counts Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine among its investors.
A double mattress from Leesa costs £590 including delivery and comes with a 100-night, in-home trial backed by a full refund.
It claims that its foam mattresses, which have a layer of memory foam in the middle, are more comfortable and keep people cooler than its rivals.
Leesa's founder says people are putting too much money into mattresses
Wolfe believes mattress prices have been kept high through the use of gimmicks that do not help people get a better night’s sleep.
He said: “People pay a lot for a mattress but don’t really know why – the industry has relied on a lot of smoke and mirrors.
The firm say customers are paying for more than what they get
“They’ve put in gels and coils and lots of other things with trademarked names that mean nothing. There is no evidence that any of those things actually do anything.”