Bed maker not resting on laurels
REVITALIFE – a Gold Coastbased supplier of therapeutic beds and chairs – is seeking to broaden its customer base beyond the elderly and infirm as it embarks on a new retail strategy.
The company was founded as Seniors Plus and bought by businessman Lance Klews six years ago. It markets adjustable beds and recliner-lift chairs with whole body vibration therapy. The beds are said to help clients with respiratory conditions to sleep better by improving circulation and oxygenation.
Shortly after buying the business, Mr Klews changed the name to Revitalife to reflect the evolving nature of the business and target not just the elderly but also National Disability Insurance Scheme recipients and elite athletes.
Last year he brought in South African expat Clive van Deventer, formerly CEO of Bartercard Australia and executive at Wyndham Vacation Resorts, to run the business. Mr van Deventer said Mr Klews bought the Seniors Plus business after seeing it had a good product and opportunity to grow within the therapeutic bed and chair market. Base: Molendinar
Owner: Lance Klews
Staff: 51
Business: Design and sale of therapeutic beds and chairs Website: Revitalife.com.au
“Our traditional model was focused on the 50-plus market,” he said.
“But the product is not just for people with ailments, we wanted to get into the broader market.”
At the beginning of the year Revitalife entered into a licensing agreement with Hologenix to use its Celliant product.
Hologenix claims Celliant uses minerals and “proprietary ingredients” embedded into the fibre of mattresses to enhance tissue oxygen levels, improve athletic performance, sleep quality, health and wellness.
“When you sleep on your normal bed the heat from your body dissipates … but when the heat hits the ceramic fibres in this material it bounces back and that enables the cells to open up and there is better oxidisation at cellular level. So it helps in the healing process.”
Mr van Deventer said the company is looking to bring on some well-known elite athletes as ambassadors to promote the product, which, he said, is not just for sportspeople.
“People have focused a lot more on their sleep patterns since the introduction of wearable devices,” he said.
“It is important people eat the right food, are fit, but also sleep eight hours each night. This helps people do that. We also know sleep is really important to athletes for recovery.”
He said there is an opportunity to also market the product to people enrolled in the NDIS, which provides funding and support for people living with permanent and/or significant disabilities.
“We have been working with NDIS extensively and the disability sector,” he said.
Mr van Deventer said the company has until now taken a direct-to-market approach, which has worked well for its core customer base of retirement village residents.
He said the company prides itself on its high service standards.
“When we deliver a bed, we will never drop the bed off and say help yourself,” he said.
“We will install the bed and run through the product and teach people how it works and the benefits.”
However, perhaps surprisingly given the well-documented struggles of the retail sector, Revitalife plans to open its first bricks-and-mortar retail store by the end of the year.
“I believe retail has a place,” he said.
“I don’t believe a company should go into retail as a single strategy, but it will work with multiple strategies.
“You have to be able to produce and sell on other platforms.
“We have direct sales and
we are getting stronger by the day in eCommerce.”
Mr van Deventer said retail will enable customers to get the product where and when they want it while also creating greater visibility for the brand.
“Our retail strategy will be more bespoke, more unique and very different from major retailers such as Harvey Norman.”
Mr van Deventer said sales grew between 20 and 23 per cent in the past financial year.
“One of the contributing factors was the introduction of Celliant,” he said.
“In the next year we expect to double sales as we move into the retail sector.”
This year the company took out The Most Outstanding Therapeutic Sleep Systems Provider award in the disability services category at the Australian Enablement Awards.