Having recently signed an exclusive manufacturing and distribution deal with US bedding company Spring Air for the Caribbean, Boss Furniture is planning to exploit opportunities that will redound to increasing its exports within the region.

Boss Furniture is one of two companies in the region that recently became a licencee of Spring Air; the other being Dominican Republic-based LA Reina SAS.

“What we have done recently, and I’m able to share it with you now … we were able to negotiate a licensee agreement with a major US bedding manufacturer called Spring Air, and we are now a licensed operator in Jamaica to manufacture this Spring Air brand…that’s sold all over the world…and we were able to negotiate it for the Caribbean,” chairman and CEO of Boss Furniture Omar Azan told Jamaica Observer on Wednesday during an interview.

“With that done, what we’re able to do now is try and find a way to increase … not only the Jamaican market, but try and grow the export market and earn foreign exchange, not only for Boss, but for our country and to create jobs locally by being able to export a US-branded product to the Caribbean region,” he continued.

The deal, which was signed last December, required “a substantial amount” of steps before Boss Furniture could receive approval to operate as a Spring Air manufacturer and distributor, Azan disclosed, adding that the US brand will complement the Sleep On It brand produced for Unicomer and the proprietary Boss Pure Collection mattress in the company’s portfolio.

Boss Furniture will be looking to export the Spring Air brand to Antigua, Dominica, and St Lucia, where it already has a foothold, as well as other Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States member territories. However, the company has begun to look at other Caribbean markets.

When asked how he secured the contract with Spring Air, Azan pointed to his brother.

“We went to a bedding show at the end of last year and my brother approached them because we’ve always been looking for a US branded product that’s priced in the pockets of the Caribbean market because there are other brands that you can go and get, but the prices of the particular products are way out reach of where we are. But the Spring Air brand is priced competitively to be able to compete in the Caribbean market sphere,” he informed Caribbean Business Report.

In the meantime, Azan said his brother will be meeting representatives of La Reina to collaborate on developing “a few product lines that we’re gonna be marketing.”

“So I would say by the end of February, end of first quarter, we will be able to have a line and products available for sale throughout the region,” he added.

In order to meet demand in the Caribbean, Azan said it is important to understand the “feel” of the market, noting that people from the region usually prefer a firmer bed compared to those in the US market.

“So we have to pick the firmer units that’s available and maybe one in the softer feel that we have an option to offer our customers through the region,” he further explained.

While the local market contributes the lion’s share of revenues and profits to Boss Furniture, the company is targeting increasing export contributions from 15 per cent to 25 per cent over the next three years. In this regard, Azan said working with La Reina on manufacturing Spring Air products presents “tremendous opportunity” to move volumes throughout the Caribbean.

Located in Woburn, Massachusetts, Spring Air International is among the top 20 US bedding manufacturers with production partnerships spanning 50 countries.

Commenting on the licensing deal with Boss Furniture, Nick Bates, president of Spring Air, said that the agreement will set the brand for continued growth throughout the Caribbean.

“Spring Air is perfectly positioned, both in terms of quality and competitive price points, to quickly gain traction on the hospitality front,” he noted, adding: “We welcome the teams at both Boss Furniture and La Reina to the Spring Air family and look forward to working together to expand the brand’s footprint in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and beyond.”