Mattress licensing group Eclipse International said it signed a record 19 new domestic and international licensing agreements in 2018. The North Brunswick, New Jersey-based company’s brand portfolio now has 77 licensees. Licensed brands include Bedding Industries of America, Eastman House, Eclipse, Ernest Hemingway, Pure Talalay Bliss, Van Vorst and Velika.
“Our portfolio includes brands that are some of the oldest and most prestigious in the mattress industry,” said Stuart Carlitz, chief executive officer of Eclipse International. “Other licensing groups are out there with one or two brands, but we have seven that we’re licensing in the United States and overseas, and that gives us a distinct advantage.
“Last year was an incredible year for us, and 2019 has the potential to be as good or even better than past years as our portfolio of brands continues to gain momentum. We’re already in talks with more potential licensees, and we anticipate adding several new partners in the coming months.”
One new licensee, EcoSleep, based in Athens, Greece, has the distribution rights for the Eclipse brand in 10 southern European countries. Georgios Bairaktaris, president and chief executive officer, said: “The partnership with Eclipse International added an American brand to our portfolio, which we needed to help grow our footprint. We wanted to partner with a company that has a history of success, and Eclipse has that solid track record.”
According to an Eclipse International news release, other international licensing agreements added in 2018 included Three Stars Foam (Eastman House), headquartered in the United Arab Emirates; Turkey-based Iskeceli Kancpe (Eclipse); Thailand-based Sleep Wealth (Eastman House); Canada-based Restwell Sleep Products (Eclipse and Eastman House); and two China-based companies — Huasheng Home Furnishings (Ernest Hemingway) and Shenzhen Meiting (Eclipse).
In the United States, Salt Lake City-based Uinta Mattress signed three licensing agreements for the Eclipse, Eastman House and Pure Talalay Bliss brands. In addition, these U.S. companies licensed Pure Talalay Bliss: Bedding Industries of America (owned by Carlitz), Biscayne Mattress, Everton Mattress, Heritage Sleep, Illinois Sleep, Paramount Sleep, Pleasant Mattress and Sanitary Mattress/Sleep Designs.
Demand remains strong for American brands because of the high quality and prestige associated with them, the news release said.
