‘Always Evolving’   

At mattress company Englander, a 132-year history isn’t something to rest on. It’s the good night’s sleep that inspires each new day’s innovations and supports an era of dynamic growth for the company, its international licensees, and its retailers.

“Max Englander founded the company 132 years ago with the vision of being driven by a single belief: better sleep by design,” says President and CEO Lou Paige. “We continue to grow with this focus. We have thrived by not only staying true to our roots but by also innovating and delivering the best product and service possible. We are constantly evolving and reacting to market needs.”

With an engaging social media presence, new retailers, new international licensees, and expanding relationships with existing international licensees, Englander pays homage to its history while striding purposefully into the future. 

Meet Englander

In 1894, the first Englander mattresses were made by hand. Today, the mattresses are still handmade, and they are enhanced by state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and designed with a keen eye on consumer demand.

“We believe very strongly in not only staying true to our founding principles but also never accepting the status quo,” Paige says. “We are consistently looking for the next, best innovation to offer a better sleep by design. Our growth is driven by providing our retail partners with the best values for their customers and providing them with feels that best suit the end consumers.”

In strategically located U.S. factories, Englander crafts mattresses known for comfort, durability, and wellness. Domestic retailers sell Englander mattresses in the 48 contiguous states. International licensees in more than 20 countries—and growing—make and sell Englander products worldwide.

A right-sized approach generates the agility and capabilities to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with retailers and licensees. “We hit that sweet spot of boutique manufacturer,” Paige says. “We’re very focused, quick to react, and dedicated to what we do.”

With a focus on latex construction, temperature regulation, and comfort, Englander’s 20-plus mattress lines combine carefully selected materials and techniques across a range of comfort levels. They include cooling covers with thermal comfort technology, hybrid Energex foam that blends the comfort of memory foam with the resilience of latex, high-density foam layers for comfort and plushness, and a steel coil perimeter for edge-to-edge support.

“Times are constantly changing, and the key to success is being on the forefront of the changes,” says Paige.

Relentless progress

Paige joined Englander as president and CEO in January 2025, after a 41-year career spent entirely in the mattress industry. 

A lot has happened since then.

Under Paige, Englander is making significant progress toward two strategic growth goals—contracting with more international manufacturers who share the Englander vision and expanding domestic distribution.

Domestic expansion means opening new retail operations without sacrificing existing relationships. “It’s not just about adding more stores,” Paige says. “It’s doing a better job for our current retailers, too.”

Paige says Englander accomplishes that by giving retailers great value and great product, but most importantly, by paying attention, assisting with marketing, and giving advice. Retailers work with their suppliers for practical, actionable marketing and sales ideas that help grow their businesses and upskill their retail sales associates. “The bottom line is, when we help make the RSAs better at their job, we are helping them with their close ratio and growing their business when a customer comes in,” Paige says. “It’s not about [us] just selling more share or more beds than the next guy. It’s about the retailer selling more beds.”

Listening to partner needs and responding quickly is key to cultivating strong relationships. “We are there when they need us and are constantly bringing new ideas to our partners,” Paige says. “It is cultural and part of our DNA to be in front of our customers and develop and grow relationships based on common goals. Our retailers benefit from carrying a legacy, boutique brand.”

In addition, Englander’s revamped, compelling social media presence is engaging audiences and amplifying the good-sleep message. Instagram views have jumped 100% since 2025. The LinkedIn page generated more than 31,000 impressions, and Facebook and Instagram click-throughs to the company website have skyrocketed nearly 700% each since last year. 

A walk through Englander’s daily Instagram posts, for instance, reveals rotating themes: “Smart Sleep with Englander” tips, mattress-shopping guidance, “This or That Thursday” sleep-habit quizzes, and intros to Englander mattresses. 

A growing international footprint

Englander licensees represent the pinnacle of international business; those firms whose exceptional manufacturing, merchandising, and marketing capabilities drive deep engagement in their countries and regions.

While new licensees continue to join the Englander brand, longtime partnerships endure. Licensees are eager to share the value and health benefits of a good night’s sleep with consumers. “Internationally, we continue to grow and expand our business,” Paige says. “Local, high-quality producers know that with a successful American brand they can reach new customers.”

Englander’s dialogue with international partners is shaped by its culture of caring, listening, understanding marketplace needs, and taking the sleep experience to the next level. “We have two-way conversations,” says Paige. “We learn from them, and they learn from us. Our licensees are powerhouse manufacturers who are leaders in the industry when it comes to quality, innovation, and customer service.”

Worldwide, the Englander brand “is marketed as a premium product with strong appeal to the local consumer who is attracted to the quality, heritage, and value Englander delivers.” In their own ways, licensees recognize and leverage the marketplace appeal and prestige that come with a leading American brand:

Sri Lankan licensee Richard Pieris & Company recently opened a 2,000-square-foot boutique in the heart of capital city Colombo’s upscale shopping district. The Englander partnership “has established a solid foundation for strategic opportunities in the premium bedding sector,” Lalith Wijeyesinghe, a Richard Pieris managing director, said at the boutique’s grand opening, which was attended by the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka. 

Leading Egyptian bedding manufacturer Bed Janssen recently extended its 18-year partnership for another five years, confirming that Englander is an “incredibly successful” brand in a region where U.S. products “have historically been respected for their high quality,” says Bed Janssen Vice President Mohamed Mostafa.

Customers embrace Englander’s planned innovations in programs and products, says Luis Pedro Solares Jarquin, general manager of Ultra Industries, holder of the Englander license for Guatemala. “In the first 10 years of bringing Englander to Guatemala, we have grown the business tremendously,” he says. “New products, marketing, and the expertise that people like Lou bring to this relationship help us grow our business even more. We see a lot of growth potential for Englander in our market.”\

A mattress for every sleeper

As the prices of necessities including gas and groceries are soaring, Englander is focusing on teaching consumers that better sleep means better health. The message: Smart spending is an investment in well-being.

“Most people want a good set of bedding,” Paige says. “People have budgets, and there are mattresses for every budget, but we can educate them on why there’s a difference between the mattresses that cost $599, $999, and $1,999, etc.” 

Englander intentionally designs and manufactures its mattresses to distinguish between feels, giving customers discernible differences as they sort through their options. Buying a mattress, Paige notes, is “a very personal experience,” but too often, comfort choices and even step-up models lack different feels. But Englander’s latest entry in the marketplace, the Dreamer Luxe collection, caters to individual preferences.

“People either want a firmer bed or a plusher bed, and you have to have options for them,” he says. “Everybody that has seen and tried the Dreamer Luxe collection has told us that not only do they feel great, but each one also has a unique and differentiated feel. We need to give the consumers choices and help our retail partners maximize floor space with meaningful, productive mattress choices.”

Over its 132 years, few mattress trends have escaped Englander’s attention. Temperature regulation, for example, is featured in today’s Englander mattresses. And while polyurethane memory foam is a powerful tool in the toolbox, latex foam remains a staple that is incorporated into more than half of Englander’s national assortment. 

In fact, says Paige, Englander uses more latex than many mattress manufacturers, making the most of a high-quality natural product with a unique feel—comfortable, supportive, and hypoallergenic. 

The Dreamer Luxe line, introduced in 2025, was a response to a renewed commitment to bringing innovative new collections to market. The line exemplifies Englander’s pioneering use of latex, dating to its 1950 Goodyear partnership (see “Rooted in Craftsmanship” pg. 30), with a firm mattress using 2 inches of latex, plush using 3 inches, and boxtop using 5 inches. The addition of specialty foams refines the feel even further. 

Unveiling an innovative, affordable latex line created new opportunities to expand relationships with existing and new retail partners. Paige says the Dreamer Luxe collection delivers a high-level experience that promises a strong 2026 for Englander and its retail partners, while placing the brand “top of mind with customers looking for a quality, competitively priced latex mattress.”

“They look great, they feel great, they’re comfortable,” he adds, noting that the line is performing well with retailers and buyers. “The firm feels firm but supportive, and the plush feels plush but supportive. They’re really great deals and very good values. We’re very aggressive in helping our retailers with their margins and helping our consumers with the retail price.”

Never resting

The quest for better education on the health benefits of a good night’s sleep—and the products to provide it—continues. 

As for future developments, stay tuned. “We’re looking for new beds, new products, a better night’s sleep, and we are looking at new and innovative products,” says Paige. 

The creativity that Englander pursues isn’t only about breakthrough moments. It also drives evolution, one adjustment at a time. “We’re constantly being creative, and with what was created on Monday, there’s a new creative path on Tuesday or Wednesday,” he says. “It’s a constant drive.”

The commitment to innovation defines the Englander culture. Companies that innovate are the survivors—and Englander should know. 

“We enjoy our heritage, and it keeps going, but our culture is one of challenging ourselves, continuing to be in the field, and working with our retailers,” Paige says. “While there’s a long history, we’re always evolving. We’re building on that history, and we keep moving forward.”

Rooted in Craftsmanship

The roots of Englander’s 21st-century growth stretch back to 19th-century entrepreneurism and an ability to keep a finger on the pulse of the American sleeper. As the official Englander history says, “It was 1894. Max Englander woke up, stretched his arms, and said, ‘Time to change the world.’”

Max Englander founded Englander Mattress Company in New York City in 1894 with the intention of hand-crafting affordable, comfortable, long-lasting mattresses. 

As a trade-magazine advertisement of the time said, Englander “productions” included mattresses, bed frames, and couch beds. They were “unusual and dependable in construction” and “the utmost in utility and economy.”

During World War I, “Red Cross mattresses” made Englander a household name. By the 1930s, still using hand-tailored craftsmanship, Englander promoted its compatibility with all sleep styles. 

In 1950, Englander partnered with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to pioneer the industry’s first latex mattresses. Called “Airfoam” for the millions of bubbles in the foam, the mattresses promised dustless, odorless, cool, and ache-free sleep. Highly refined innerspring coils arrived in 1957 with the “Tension-Ease” line, which lives on in Englander’s Tension Ease hybrid mattresses.