(From left) Navijam’s Joo Sub Kim, director of SCM; Jin Yong Park, director of marketing; Jae Joon Lee, chief executive officer; Jae Hyun Lee, chairman; and Kingsdown’s Frank Hood, president and chief executive officer; Spencer Nicholls, director of international sales; Frances Chay, Asia regional brand manager.
Mattress manufacturer Kingsdown Inc. has inked a licensing deal with South Korea’s Navijam Inc., a mattress manufacturer headquartered in Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province.
Under the agreement, Navijam is licensed to manufacture, import and retail Kingsdown-branded products. Although the Mebane, North Carolina-based company has exported product to South Korea, the deal marks the first time its beds will be built there.
Navijam will use patented Kingsdown processes to manufacture a full suite of Kingsdown bed brands, and also will implement Kingsdown’s BedMatch technology, a news release said. In business since 2011, Navijam is said to be a leading South Korean mattress producer, as well as a major supplier of rental mattresses, operating highly automated, state-of-the-art facilities.
Retail distribution plans for the Kingsdown brand are in place and involve a network of South Korean department stores, as well as freestanding retail stores.
“We were drawn to Kingsdown because we share a common commitment to the research and testing of quality products,” said Jae Hyun Lee, Navijam chairman. “Our company is very excited to join forces with an internationally known brand that we know will succeed in South Korea.”
Frank Hood, Kingsdown president and chief executive officer, commented, “As Kingsdown continues to expand we have seen great success and growth abroad through developing partnerships with foreign licensees. Looking to grow our brand in South Korea, we are confident that Navijam Inc. is the right match for Kingsdown and are thrilled and eager to begin this mutually beneficial partnership. We have found a partner that not only believes in our product but also shares our company’s vision of providing retailers and their consumers with high-quality product from an internationally respected brand. We are also very excited that they will not only be importing our product but also producing it.”
