Sealy (formerly the Sealy Corporation) is a brand of mattresses marketed and sold by Tempur Sealy International. Sealy draws its name from the city where the Sealy Corporation originally started, Sealy, Texas. In 1881, cotton gin builder Daniel Haynes lived in Sealy, Texas, located west of Houston. Haynes began making cotton-filled mattresses for his friends and neighbors. In 1889, he patented an invention that compressed cotton for use in his mattresses. Eventually the mattresses became so popular he was able to sell the patents to manufacturers in other markets. The term "Mattress from Sealy" was coined to describe what was produced. During 1906, after much success as an advertising executive, Earl Edwards purchased the patents and gained manufacturing knowledge from Haynes. Edwards took the name "Sealy" for his new company and expanded it to a national market. Due to lack of funding for manufacturing, Sealy expanded using a licensing-expansion similar to Coca-Cola.
By 1920, Sealy had 28 licensed plants and became the first mattress company to expand using a licensing program. During the Great Depression the mattress industry was hit hard. Sealy lost most of its licensees and narrowly escaped bankruptcy itself. During this time Sealy consolidated with the surviving licensees and created what is now known as Sealy, Incorporated. Sealy operated as a franchisor out of its Chicago headquarters and its licensees were, under the terms of their licensing agreement, only supposed to sell in a designated trading area that did not conflict with other franchisees. The largest licensee, Cleveland-based Ohio Mattress Company (founded by the Wuliger family and still operated by Ernest M. Wuliger), defied these restrictions and sold into markets reserved for other franchisees. The conflict resulted in Ohio Mattress filing an antitrust suit against Sealy in 1971. The issue was decided fifteen years later with a near-total victory for Ohio Mattress. Unable to come up with the $77m award, Sealy Incorporated and all but one of the other franchisees were forced to sell to Ohio Mattress, and the company became the world's largest bedding manufacturer by sales.
Merchant banking firm Gibbons Green Van Amerongen took Sealy private in an April 1989 leveraged buyout, a deal which netted Sealy shareholders US$965m. First Boston made a bridge loan to the buy-out firm just as Drexel Burnham Lambert was running into trouble and the junk bond market was drying up, and was stuck with the loan. The failed deal, known as "burning bed," led to a dramatic slow-down in leveraged buy-outs. Gibbons Green dissolved and First Boston was forced into the arms of Credit Suisse. In 1990 Ohio Mattress assumed the Sealy name that it had acquired when it purchased Sealy Inc. In 1998 Sealy announced that it was moving from Cleveland to the High Point, NC, area. Bain Capital and a team of Sealy's senior executives acquired the company in 1997. In 2004, the company was acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and a team of Sealy management. The deal was valued at $1.5 billion but included significant debt.[4] The company operated as a privately held corporation until 2005.
On June 30 of that year, it announced an initial public offering of common stock. The company said proceeds from the IPO would go to paying down debt, funding global operations and paying private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to “terminate our future obligations under our management services agreement.” In September, 2012, Tempur-Pedic International (TPX) announced an agreement to purchase Sealy (NTSE:ZZ) for about US$229 million. Sealy's corporate headquarters are located in Trinity, NC. Although Sealy's website claims that they are the largest manufacturer of mattresses in the world, Tempur-Pedic had greater revenue than Sealy in 2011.[6] Sealy has 25 U.S. plants and a 17.8 percent share of the nation's mattress sales.[7] Sealy sells the majority of its mattresses under its three main brands, Sealy Posturepedic, Stearns & Foster and Bassett. There are licensees operating in Australia, Argentina, Bahamas, Colombia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
^ "Sealy signs merger agreement with KKR; deal valued $1.5 billion." ^ "Sealy to go public." ^ Richard M. Barron, "Tempur-Pedic buys Trinity-based Sealy for $228.6 million in cash," News & Record, September 28, 2012.This mattress is pure luxury at a price that makes sense. The 12-inch thick mattress features a 3-inch gel-infused memory foam top layer, a 1-inch Bamboo Rayon charcoal memory foam support layer, and an 8-inch high-density foam base. The Lucid® gel memory foam is infused with gel beads to capture and distribute heat. The top layer has a ventilated design that increases airflow throughout the sleep layer and helps regulate sleeping temperature. The memory foam quickly conforms to weight and pressure and isolates motion transfer between sleeping partners. This mattress correctly aligns the spine and helps relieve pain by supporting the natural curves of your head, neck and shoulders. Open cell construction yields a longer lasting, more resilient foam that will not leave long-lasting body impressions.
Our memory foam is naturally resistant to allergens and dust mites. Tencel® Lyocell blend cover adds moisture-wicking comfort. This mattress does not contain synthetic or natural latex of any kind. All of our mattresses are manufactured to industry standard dimensions for easy bedding purchases and application. Ventilated design increases airflow throughout the sleep layer and helps regulate sleeping temperature Infused with gel beads to prevent overheating Tencel Lyocell blend cover adds moisture-wicking comfort Infused with gel beads to capture and distribute heat The mattress would not affect the coolness or comfort factor if it is not on a slatted wood or metal platform bed, but it would void the mattress warranty All three layers for the mattress are 4 pound density Mattress can be used with an adjustable base Bed bug encasement is recommended Smell of chemicals will last for 24 - 72 hours, provided there is good ventilation Compatible with pellet stoves: Yes
Box spring is not required Mattress is suitable for use with or without a box spring or an adjustable base This is made with CertiPur-US® certified foam Cover is naturally hypoallergenic Open cell construction yields a longer lasting, more resilient foam that will not leave long-lasting body impressions Note: Product images shown are for representation. The product you receive may vary slightly due to manufacturing changes Bed holds up to 1200 lbs Core Construction: Gel memory foam Overall Length - Head to Toe Includes a 3" ventilated gel memory foam surface Includes a 1" bamboo charcoal memory foam support layer Includes an 8" high density foam base Can be used with slats as long as the distance between slats does not exceed 6" Manufacturer provides 25 years warranty Mattresses have long since advanced from the days of bad support, noisy springs, and a "one size fits all" mentality. Lucid sits on the cutting edge of sleep technology to bring you affordable, comfortable mattresses.