Mr. Ben Cubhert, Vice President (Sales & Marketing),
Leggett & Platt International Bedding
Q What are some of the key strategic priorities for Leggett & Platt over the next five years, and how do you plan to achieve them?
As an innovator of comfort for over 140 years, our aim is to continue making life more comfortable for as many people as possible around the world. As such our overall mission is a commitment to enhancing lives by delivering quality products, offering empowering and rewarding careers, and doing our part in bringing about a better future.
Q Can you discuss any recent shifts in consumer behaviour and how Leggett & Platt is adapting its services to meet these new demands?
We are observing consumers having greater awareness of the benefits of quality restorative sleep and the positive impact it has on their lives, and as a result, we believe, are becoming more educated and discerning regarding the technology within their mattress. At the same time, the ever-increasing pace of life along with digitalization is resulting in demand for greater levels of speed and convenience within the mattress-buying journey. At Leggett & Platt we are acutely aware of the additional pressure such demand for greater levels of technology, speed and convenience places on our esteemed industry partners; the mattress producers, brand owners and retailers. Therefore, we have adapted our products and services to include innovative sleep solutions along the whole value chain.
Q How important is India market for Leggett & Platt and what are the new trends that you are observing with regard to bedding components from this market?
We believe India to be one of the fastest growing and dynamic bedding markets in the world, and in addition view the region as being highly sophisticated in its global outlook and level of technology adoption. For these reasons we see the India as a key global player in the industry and as such are here to support it to the best of our abilities. As the world’s go-to source for all things bedding, we truly believe we can help enhance people’s lives through our innovative range of products and services. The bedding industry trends in India which we are observing include a rising market share for innerspring mattresses, the emergence of hybrid mattresses, fastest growth in the high-end segment, increased brand awareness, as well as e-commerce opportunities, especially in the “Bed-in-a-Box” (BiB) space.
Q What role does innovation play in Leggett & Platt’s current and future business strategy?
Innovation is at the core of everything we do, and we are proud of our 141-year legacy of comfort innovation. We value our place in the history of early inventions that made sleep more comfortable, but we have not rested. For more than a century, we’ve kept our place as a bedding leader and manufacturer of industry-changing products. Starting with innersprings and now specialty foam and other technologies, Leggett & Platt has gone on to hold more than one thousand bedding-related patents and we plan to continue down the same path of continuous innovation in the future.