An IIM Calcutta alumni, Sumit Bhatt has been leading the foam & mattress business under the brands Feelex Mattress and Comfex Foams respectively. He is focusing on expanding into southern states with its foam first and then mattresses eventually. In his first interview with Comfort Times, he shared his company’s future given the changing consumer requirements post-pandemic.
Q Can you please share details about your company for our readers
BDG Polysteel LTD is a Kolkata-based company, majorly manufacturers of TMT bars and Steels. We have diversified ourselves into mattresses and foams since 2016. And we have three units presently one in Kolkata, another one in North Bengal (Siliguri), and the third one in the West of India (Daman). Primally we are foam manufacturers, and we make EPE foam, Polyurethane foam, and Rebond foam. We also manufactured mattresses since 2017 under the brands Feelex and Comfex, these two brands are marketed in the eastern states of our country and are available in 330 retail outlets.
Q Do you have any idea to expand into pan India?
Yes, we are already present in major parts of the Western part of the country and, we supply foams for major mattress manufacturer’s brands presented in the country. We are planning to expand into the south and a plan is already started. We are planning to have partners in Bangalore and Hyderabad and wish to expand it very soon into other parts of the country.
Q How consumer requirements are changing post Pandemic and lockdown?
I can see a complete shift by consumers in pursuing the mattress post-pandemic and during the pandemic. But we can see changes in the sleeping solution category, people have started focusing on sleeping solutions, which is good for our industry. The demand for sleep solutions has increased, and awareness of using the right quality foam or mattresses has also been increased. During the pandemic, people started understanding the importance of the sleeping solution which is one of the major shifts in preferences. Another major shift in the last two years is online demand, which is a new thing that all has been adopted in this pandemic, this will be one of the reasons the industry is growing.
Q How B2B platform has utilized the online platform, is there any online transaction is happening between Manufacturer and vendor?
There are various platforms where customers can easily get connected with the manufacturer online, but only primary orders can happen online, gradually it goes on to the traditional trade pattern when it comes to selling the foams. We are pushing our foams to customers who are the major mattress manufacturers (B2B). The buying pattern of the customer is also changing, We are also checking our social media handles like how we are approaching customers, mainly focusing on the look and feel of the company, approach skills, communication skills, and features of the product. So B2B has also changed in the last 4-5 years.