Not easy because a mattress resembles another mattress

A little more than two months after his release from the backup procedure, while he was threatened with termination of payments, Cauval Industries starts to attack. The French leader of the Cabinet is about to add a new brand of bedding, Pirelli, to its portfolio, which already includes Simmons and Tréca Dunlopillo mattresses, learned from sources close to the record. When questioned, the direction does not want to comment on "market rumours". Pirelli Bedding currently belongs to the American leader of mattresses, Sealy, subsidiary of KKR Fund. The assignment of the mark in Europe, which represents less than 10 of sales of Sealy, would strengthen the accounts of the American company, whose profits have dropped 70 this year.

For Cauval Industries, it is an occasion, three years after the acquisition of Tréca and Dunlopillo, further strengthening its position as number one with competitors such as Cofel and Hilding Anders. The group, which employs 6,000 employees, half of them in France, is reviewing more generally its trademark policy. It comes from the present distribution in "personal Vision 2010." An appointment that he held "catastrophe" in Paris for its customers after the postponement of the furniture fair, foul of exhibitors. "We are in the phase of completion of our repositioning after four years of work, said Gilles Silberman, Director General of Cauval Industries." The crisis has delayed us, but without this work, I am confident that we would be more here.

First French manufacturer of seats without mark on behalf of distributors, the group will launch in January of Dunlopillo sofas. A line drawn by the designer Hora Ito. Price: 450 euros.

Restructuring costs

"It is for us to use the expertise of Dunlopillo sleeping, and therefore, comfort, and to apply it to the sofas for a reasonable price, is the leader." Can no longer engage in a spiral that takes the price down. It must offer differentiating products and qualitative to leave the market. "Its model in dress: Zara, which combines clothing fashion, quality and price. Today, massive imports of China or the countries of the East to find seats to 89 euros.

For bedding, Cauval Industries also wants to highlight its technologies. Not easy, because a mattress resembles another mattress. On the model of "Intel inside", the group established labels such as "simmons inside", "Simmons technology" and "Pillotech by Dunlopillo", referring to the know-how of Simmons springs and Dunlopillo foam and latex. "We will offer these technologies to manufacturers of mattresses without mark, which should generate additional turnover and allow us to continue to innovate", is Gilles Silberman. Mattresses without brand represent approximately 40 of the market in France.

These new signatures, Cauval Industries hopes to strengthen its internationalization, while it is present today only in England and Germany. The manufacturer should finish the year with a decline of 13 of its turnover reduced between 520 million and 530 million euros, with a net loss of the order of EUR 14 million. The Group has borne heavy loads of restructuring in 2009, with the abolition of 14 of its workforce. "If the market remains at his level, and I doubt that it could go even lower, we should be in balance next year", concluded the leader.