Mattress firm E.S. Kluft gets in bed with Vi-spring

Rancho Cucamonga company E.S. Kluft & Co. said it is merging its operations with a British company with the goal of becoming one of the largest luxury bed manufacturers in the world.

Vi-Spring, a unit of Flex Group of Spain, agreed to buy 51% of E.S. Kluft, the companies said. Vi-Spring has operations in Europe, Asia and North America.

Earl Kluft, founder and chief executive of the Inland Empire company, said he would be chief executive of the combined North American company. The manufacturer, known for its $33,000 king-size Palais Royale mattress and box spring, sells its products at stores including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

The deal had been in the works for about a 1 1⁄2 years, Kluft said.

“We’re hoping to become the dominant luxury mat- tress manufacturer in the U.S. and we hope the whole world,” Kluft said.”

The 200 employees at Kluft’s California and Pennsylvania facilities, including the sales staff, will retain their jobs. Kluft expects to add 25 employees at its Pennsylvania plant by the end of the year, when the company hopes to start producing some of Vi-Spring’s products. Vi-Spring also expects to keep its 100 employees, Kluft said.

The move will expand ViSpring’s presence in the United States, where it opened its first store three years ago. It recently opened a new plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and expanded its production capacity in Chile.

“For Vi-Spring and the Flex Group, this is a strategic move as we will accelerate our growth in the American market,” Vi-Spring Managing Director Mike Meehan said.