SUPERBRANDS 2012

over 1100 people and indirect employment to

hundreds of thousands of coir workers across
the sub-continent.

History

For most people it's not conscious knowledge that they spend a third of their lives sleeping. This accounts
for the so little thought that goes into making an empowered decision on the mattress they ought to use.
Kurlon attempted to change this proclivity by explaining the different types of mattresses and their benefits.
Out of this exercise emerged a range of mattress configurations that corresponded with customer's
requirements and sleeping habits. Because of alerting customers and introducing innovative marketing
techniques Kurlon has top-of-mind awareness that exceeds 80%.

Achievements

Market
Of the hundreds of millions of people who
sleep each night, less than half is contributed to
by the regimented mattress market. The rest is
the preserve of the street-side shop and the
local ginner. However, the markets have since
undergone a major transformation. Mattresses
are no longer seen as products that cushion the
body but are now being ranked on the kind of
sleep experience they offer.
Like several other products in the country,
the purchase of mattresses, too, follows an
economic hierarchy. Quite simply, the lower the
cost, the greater is its market share. Following
that pattern of purchase, the coarse cotton
mattresses are not only the least expensive
ones they are, as a consequence, also the largest
selling. No estimate is available for the turnover
in this market but it's safe to assume that it runs
into several hundreds of crore.
The organised segment, at the moment is
nascent. Beginning to now develop, it currently
has a market estimated at C1500 crore (US$
272.70 million) (Source: market data). In this
vertical, coir is the overwhelming leader
followed by spring and foam mattresses.
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There are only a handful of national players,

but for a market this small, competition is
surprisingly intense particularly with the entry of
several international players. It is estimated that
over 150 regional brands and several scores of
clones operate here, offering rock bottom
prices compensated by modest quality. Sales
wax and wane with spikes occurring during the
festive and marriage seasons. There is also an
established correlation between housing
development and the sale of mattresses. Thanks
to the rapid development of housing, improving
lifestyles and consumer awareness towards sleep
products, the mattress market is expected to
continue to grow 20% year-on-year.

KURLON

kurlon.com

superbrandsindia.com

Kurlon's journey has been a long

one, punctuated with the efforts
of millions of man-hours devoted
to the ostensibly simple task of
telling audiences the benefits
and need for a good night's
rest. The fact is that in a country
where large swathes comprise of
people living on the margin, it's
hard to sell comfort when the
economics of eking out a living
itself take precedence.
Despite this road block, the
achievements of Kurlon have
been very significant: it
accomplished the singularly
difficult task of selling a concept
that actually helped create an
entire industry.
In India it has a dominating
market leadership; research has
suggested that the brand enjoys
top-of-mind awareness of a
staggering 80%. Everything else
being equal, this would mean
that in a future purchase Kurlon
would be in the consideration
set of at least 80% of all
customers, giving the company an extraordinary
edge over other brands.
For its fine achievements, awards have been
quick in coming. The Coir Board of India has
honoured Kurlon with many citations over the
years. For the past sixteen years it has won the
Coir Board of India's awards for Outstanding
Performance in Export of Rubberised Coir
Products, Development of the Domestic Market
for Rubberised Coir, and the award for being
the Largest Domestic Trader of Coir and Coir
Products.
With a countrywide dealer network of over
7000, Kurlon provides direct employment to

Many of the world's great brands are the result

of an agreeable accident. The genesis of Kurlon
is no different. The company was founded in
1962 when Ramesh Pai, on a trip to Germany
discovered that the comfortable seat in his car
was padded with rubberised curled coir from
Sri Lanka. On his return, he learnt that coir was
a very basic industry in India which was then
manufacturing only retted fibre. He decided to
value-add the entire business and set up a
company to pioneer the rubberised coir
industry.
To put the concept in motion, he brought in
Austrian technology to extract fibre from
coconut husk. A slew of opportunities now
opened up. Rather than restrict himself to just
mattresses he also developed an ancillary range
of products such as cushions and mats. In 1962
the company was called Karnataka Consumer
Products Limited but was renamed Kurlon
Limited in 1995.
In 2004 the company ventured beyond
providing just the sleeping comfort of a mattress
and extended its product range into the home
comforts segment. Today, Kurlon has an
extended range that includes pillows, bolsters,
bed sheets and furniture. At present, the
company has nine manufacturing units, one each
in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Uttarakhand and five near Bangalore.

Product
It is an extraordinary insight that despite
spending a third of their lives sleeping, very few
people understand what makes for good sleep.
It is, therefore, extraordinary and true that
Kurlon has spent thousands of man hours
studying people's sleeping habits and postures
and selling the concept of the how's and what's
of good sleep. Out of this study has emerged a

scientificallysupported range of
Kurlon sleep comfort
products.
Aware that Indians
are price-sensitive,
Kurlon affects a fine
balancing act,
marrying a
scientifically proven
product with
affordable price.
The mattresses
available are divided
into three categories:
spring mattresses are
sold under the names
Valentino, Fantasy,
Marvel, Comfort and
Luxurino. Rubberised
coir mattresses are
sold as Klassic and
Klassic Plus while
foam mattresses have
a range that includes
Rejuvene, Magna and
Relax. This extensive,
scientificallydeveloped range, cuts
across almost every
socio-economic
barrier.
Special therapeutic
mattresses
Spinekare and Ortho
to support the
back and neck are
also available.
Kurlon's bed linen
is available in a huge range of enchanting
colours and designs spoiling customers for
choice. Desire, a collection of co-ordinated
premium bed linen, adds a touch of glamour to
bedrooms. The Bonita single-pack comes with
two bed sheets and pillow covers.

Recent Developments
Kurlon has recently made the
transition from being a sleep
comfort and furnishings
company to one that now
also offers a wide selection of
furniture in the latest designs.
Exotic to look and superb
to the touch these authentic
masterpieces combine
comfort, luxury and elegance
in truly stunning looks. The
range of furniture includes
bedroom sets, sofa sets,
dinning sets, wardrobes,
centre tables etc.

Promotion
Kurlon's communications
campaigns have stressed on
the importance of the
correct sleeping posture and
how a good night's rest
impacts not just the day after,
but has a long-term effect on
health in general.
The spring mattress
commercial developed by
Kurlon, propagated the
concept of 'sleep like you
stand', taking-off from the
proven fact that the most
comfortable position to be in

is standing. This 2008 effort won for the brand a

place of pride in the international advertising
bible, Archives.
The latest Kurlon campaign promotes the
unique Motion Separation Index technology in
its range of Luxurino mattresses. Its pay-off line
'One Side Scream One Side Dream' is already
beginning to impact the market very agreeably.
Kurlon promotions also include year-round
deals which offer pillows, bed sheets, blankets,
holidays, jewellery, motorbikes and ipods as
rewards. The promotional activity is upped
substantially during the festive season.

Brand Values
Kurlon stands for quality, trust, value, comfort
and relationships. These values are reflected in
every Kurlon product. The company stands by
an old-fashioned belief that every product that a
consumer interfaces with is a brand ambassador
for the company, while every promotion must
value-add to a customer's purchase so it ends
up as an extension of the brand.

Things you didnt know about

Kurlon
Kurlon pioneered the rubberised coir
industry in India
Kurlon mattresses are made of millions of
tiny coir fibres
Kurlon uses vertical compression technology
to give more spring action to the coir in a
mattress
Kurlon's Luxurino is the first mattress in India
with MSI (Motion Separation Index)
technology

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