H.I.G. Capital Affiliate Completes Acquisition of the Spring Air CompanyCBI Acquires the Spring Air Company and Simultaneously Purchases 6 Factory Licensees
H.I.G. Capital Affiliate Completes Acquisition of the Spring Air Company
CBI Acquires the Spring Air Company and Simultaneously Purchases 6 Factory Licensees
MIAMI – July 17, 2007 – An affiliate of H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global private investment firm, completed the consolidation of The Spring Air brand with the acquisition of the Spring Air Company (the entity which owns the “Spring Air” trademark, and the licensor of such name), 8 licensee factory locations and combining them with Consolidated Bedding Inc. (“CBI”), which is the largest Spring Air licensee and an existing holding of H.I.G. The Spring Air Company (“Spring Air” or the “Company”), based in Chicago, IL, is the fourth largest innerspring mattress brand in the U.S. The Company manufactures, sells and distributes a broad range of branded Spring Air, Chattam & Wells, Nature’s Rest, and private label mattresses. Bob Hellyer, a former Simmons executive, was named CEO and will oversee some 1,150 employees at 13 factories. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With the consolidation, Spring Air now has a centralized and uniform, national manufacturing footprint in the United States with thirteen strategically located factories in Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New Brunswick, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tampa. The national footprint provides Spring Air the ability to effectively sell to national retailers while optimizing delivery routes and service to its customers. The Company generates more than $400 million in revenues, selling its products through most major department stores, furniture stores and mattress sleep shops.
Spring Air CEO Bob Hellyer commented, “This is an exciting day for all of Spring Air’s customers, employees and suppliers. As one company, led by an experienced management team with a common vision, Spring Air can deliver better quality, service and exceptional value. The consolidation will solidify Spring Air’s position as the leading value “S” brand on every retail floor.”
Peter Cornetta of H.I.G., commented, “We have looked forward to the opportunity to consolidate the Spring Air franchise and are excited by the opportunities for our new company. Spring Air is a leading brand in the bedding industry and H.I.G. is committed to growing the business with new product innovation and further investment in the Spring Air brand. The Company will look to take advantage of the synergies of consolidating the licensor/licensee structure while providing the highest quality products to our customers.”
About Spring Air
The Spring Air Company is the fourth largest innerspring bedding brand in the U.S. and, prior to the consolidation, had operated through a licensor/licensee model with manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Australia and the Dominican Republic. The licensor was the owner of the global rights to the Spring Air intellectual property and licensed those rights to manufacture bedding products to the aforementioned manufacturing locations. The transaction has consolidated the licensor/licensee model, whereby the intellectual property and manufacturing facilities are now owned by a unified company.
The unified Spring Air Company now services all of the top 25 MSAs in the United States with its national footprint of manufacturing operations. Through made-to-order manufacturing, the Company ships approximately 75% of its products to retail customers within 3 business days, thereby improving customer satisfaction. In 2006, Spring Air sold over 2.4 million mattresses in the United States. These units were sold to approximately 1,100 retail customers representing over 4,500 retail stores.
The Company produces a broad range of bedding products, including innerspring (open coil), pocket-coil, foam and latex mattresses, foundations (box springs) and pillows. Mattresses are produced under the Spring Air brand of products, Chattam & Wells, Nature’s Rest and private label for select leading customers. The Company’s products address the full marketplace with retail prices ranging from $349 to over $5,000. Products are designed to meet any consumer’s sleep needs or price point. Mattresses are produced in all sizes (twin, full, queen, king) with a broad variety of quilting, cushioning, foam, and embroidery to provide specific support, comfort or other design needs.
About H.I.G. Capital, L.L.C.
H.I.G. Capital L.L.C. (“H.I.G.”) is a leading global private equity investment firm with more than $4 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, and San Francisco in the U.S., as well as affiliate offices in London, Hamburg and Paris in Europe, H.I.G. specializes in providing capital to small and medium-sized companies with attractive growth potential. H.I.G. invests in management-led buyouts and recapitalizations of profitable and well managed manufacturing or service businesses. H.I.G. also has extensive experience with financial restructurings and operational turnarounds. Since its founding, H.I.G. has completed more than 75 transactions. The firm currently manages a portfolio of more than 50 companies with combined revenues in excess of $7 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.hig.com.