U.S. Bedding Firm Bedgear Unfurls in China

There’s nothing sleepy about Bedgear’s China entrance.

The American bedding-maker is expanding widely into the Chinese market, opening 500 stores over the next two years, as many foreign retailers are pulling out amid fierce competition.

The New York-based firm will join forces with De Rucci Beddings Co. Ltd, a Chinese bedding producer and retailer that boasts 3,000 flagship stores in 11 countries and areas worldwide.

The tie-up will meet a growing demand for high-quality sleep environments from China’s younger generation, which has become a driver of consumption but have faced severe sleep issues, De Rucci said Friday in an online post.

More than 80% of China’s youth have sleep disorders, according to a report published jointly in March by De Rucci and the Chinese Sleep Research Society.

Bedgear will provide De Rucci consumers with one-on-one consultations to build each shoppers’ personalized sleep systems and customized products based on sleep position and body frame, the company said in an official statement.

With both online and brick-and-mortar stores, Bedgear’s personalized fitting process aims to engage China’s active, tech-focused consumers, De Rucci President Wang Bingkun said.

The move is part of Bedgear’s efforts to strengthen its international presence. The 7-year-old firm has already opened specialty outlets in the U.S., Canada, Russia, New Zealand, Australia and China.

In contrast to Bedgear’s aggressive expansion to China, a string of foreign retailers has exited the once-promising China market as they struggle to remain profitable due to competition from local rivals.

British retailing giant Marks & Spencer, grocery company Tesco, and the U.S. electronics chain Best Buy have all pulled out of China in recent years.

Contact reporter Song Shiqing (shiqingsong@caixin.com)