The 126-year-old bedding producer moves from promotional to premium mattresses as its footprint grows across the globe.
The past eight years have seen a transformation of the King Koil brand in the United States from a licensing structure to a manufacturing platform that supports retailers across the country and focuses on the premium and ultra-premium market segments.
The architect of this transformation is David Binke, an industry leader who joined the company in 2017 and has since assembled a management team of key executives in sales, marketing, operations and design roles to help implement that vision.
He has also expanded the company’s manufacturing platform over the past five years, first opening a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and showroom in Avondale, Arizona, in early 2018, then doubling its capacity just two years later.
Today, King Koil Mattress Co. is known for its focus on innovation in the premium and ultra-premium segments and for bedding solutions with an emphasis on technology, wellness and sustainability.
“I think the success we have realized is because of our retail partners and team,” Binke said. “Retailers understood the marketplace need for a distinctive premium and ultra-premium brand, and we were able to attract senior executives who were the leaders in their specialty areas to come aboard and help us transform the King Koil brand.”
Chief among senior executives who joined the team after Binke were David Long, executive vice president of innovation and marketing, and Don Pflug, senior vice president of operations.
Long is recognized for being an innovative product developer. Starting his career developing new designs at Simmons, Long spent decades at both Spring Air and, later, E.S. Kluft & Co.
Pflug has an equally storied past heading manufacturing operations at companies like Southerland and Tempur Sealy International.
From Heritage to Innovation: The Evolution of King Koil
King Koil, originally named United States Bedding, dates back to 1898 when it was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, by Samuel Bronstein. The fledgling business operated out of a small factory with six employees. During the 1930s, the company developed spring technology that led to renaming the company King Koil.
Today, the bedding producer supports more than 24 licensees worldwide and operates in more than 80 countries. Earlier this year, King Koil was acquired by AI Dreams, adding resources to support the company’s future growth. AI Dreams is a sleep solutions provider in Asia.
Since joining the bedding producer, Binke has repositioned King Koil’s business model, but this is not the first time that the executive has played a key role in the management and direction of King Koil. He previously served as executive vice president of sales for King Koil, before joining E.S. Kluft & Co., where was named CEO, a position he held for more than four years before returning to King Koil.
“The Aireloom brand was positioned at the ultra-premium level, and we took it even higher under my tenure,” Binke said, adding that “my background was in selling upper-end products and understanding the marketing behind them and working with retail partners who understand how to sell higher quality, better products.”
When Binke returned to King Koil, the company was based in Willowbrook, Illinois, and had seven licensees positioned around the country. It was known at the time as a promotional brand that sold at retail price points ranging from $399 to $899 for queen-size mattresses. Looking back, he said, “I did not see a real positive future with that, and that’s what precipitated all the changes.”
Binke dedicated his first few months to reimagining what King Koil could be and set about laying the groundwork for a fresh start, which included eliminating six of the existing licensees. He also moved the company headquarters to Avondale. Soon, the company began directing its marketing strategies to an entirely new customer base and King Koil’s new chapter as an ultra-premium luxury brand was fully underway. “Today, our average retail sale runs about $2,800, almost nine times greater than when we started, and we’ve become more of a niche company.”
A Global Presence: King Koil’s International Success Story
King Koil has established itself as a global brand that delivers high-quality, comfortable mattresses all around the world. “King Koil around the world is actually far larger than it is here in the United States, even though we’ve grown exponentially here over the last six years,” Binke said.
Its global presence truly began to grow in the mid-1960s. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, its presence spread as the brand began aligning with successful mattress companies around the world. Over the years, the company has grown into an international business, whose mattresses are now sold in more than 80 countries, with pronounced success throughout Asia.
King Koil’s collections are defined by the King Koil brand, as every product is tied to its name. “Intimate by King Koil, Smart-Life by King Koil. Everything is under the King Koil brand,” Binke said.
One of King Koil’s most successful collections is SmartLife, its first technology-based product. In the market for more than five years, it delivers quality, technology, personalization and craftsmanship. King Koil has figured out how use body-sensing technology so that its products align with a customer’s personal comfort.
“It has really propelled and helped our growth,” Binke said. “It seems like we’re really the only mattress company who’s been successful in that product category over the years and it isn’t easy. I tell people when you mix mattresses and technology it isn’t as smooth as peanut butter and jelly.”
Throughout its collections, King Koil uses exotic fibers and foams in different formulations to craft its high-end products. “It’s all really the formula — that combination. It’s our technology, it’s the type of fabrics we use, the various foams, the unique innersprings. It’s how it all goes together,” Binke said.
The company’s largest and most successful collection is the Intimate line, which is handcrafted and tufted, made with natural fibers and individually pocketed coils.
Giving Back: Commitment to Sustainability and Community
King Koil spent the past few years incorporating sustainability into its products to establish environmental responsibility. In making moves toward more environmentally conscious production, King Koil introduced ReSpun two years ago. The line includes glueless pocketed coils, which can be recycled. Bio-based foams and recycled denim ticking complete the mattress.
is made with natural fibers and pocketed coils.
with a QuadCoil design, Talalay latex and memory foam.
In addition to its efforts on the sustainability front, King Koil is a brand with purpose. Over the past several years, it has held annual outings with Boys & Girls Clubs in Arizona, Florida and South Carolina. The company gathers its executives and provides more than 100 children with a unique life experience, like a trip to a race car speedway, Epcot or a carnival. The executives participate in the experience with the children, who come from challenging economic or home environments, and also provide gifts and a donation to the local club.
Additionally, Binke was recognized this year for his contributions to the industry at City of Hope’s annual West Coast event, where a fundraising record was set to help the hospital system treat patients. He also serves on the board of trustees for the International Sleep Products Association.
Looking ahead, Binke said King Koil’s future growth and success will be propelled by continued product innovation and potential acquisitions to expand its manufacturing capacity and efficiency.
Read the latest on King Koil: King Koil’s Smartlife Mattress Collection to Launch in Canada .
