Press Releases



Simmons Launches Industry's First Kid's Mattress That Reduces Asthma Symptoms And Manages Bedwetting
BackCare Kids™ Features MoIstureban™ To Repel Wetness And Allergycare™ To Prevent Allergens In Bedding

SINGAPORE, December 8, 2003

The amount of sleep a child gets is directly related to intelligence and impacts growth, alertness and learning power, according to international sleep expert, Dr James Maas, in his book "Power Sleep". Understanding the importance of sleep to prepare children for peak performance in school and other activities, Simmons has launched the Simmons BackCare Kids™ mattress to help kids in Singapore sleep better and achieve a better quality of life.

Knowing that children require bedding designed specifically to address their sleep and health needs, the revolutionary Simmons BackCare Kids™ comes with MoistureBan™ to manage spills and accidents, and AllergyCare™ to minimise allergens and irritations while sleeping. Simmons is the first in the bedding industry to offer these child-specific features in its new juvenile line of the famed BackCare^® Series.

"We at Simmons fully understand the stress of parents, particularly those with pre-schoolers and school-going children, with at least 30 per cent of young children (between one and four years old) demanding parental intervention at least once nightly. Our advanced research at Simmons USA allows us to offer an innovative solution to parents with a kid's mattress that has MoistureBan™ to repel wetness caused by bedwetting and accidents and AllergyCare™ to reduce indoor allergens that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma," said Mr Michael Koo, Managing Director of Simmons (SEA) Pte Ltd.

Local statistics have shown that one in five children suffer from asthma, and up to 80 per cent of children with asthma develop symptoms before the age of five. Simmons BackCare Kids™ AllergyCare™ feature is a non-pesticide, anti-allergen and anti-fungal solution to help prevent indoor allergens such as dust mites that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma.

AllergyCare™ contains Amicor™, an intrinsically-soft, anti-bacteria fibre that naturally replenishes the effectiveness of the fibre surface, ensuring lifetime protection of the mattress against allergens. The antimicrobial functionality of Amicor™ is incorporated into the fibre structure to prevent the growth of odour-forming bacteria, while using safe and skin-friendly additives. Clinical studies prove Amicor's™ effective bacteria control and demonstrate its safety and durability for the lifetime of the product that cannot be worn out or washed away.

Bedwetting is a common and natural occurrence among young children, but can prove to be highly inconvenient and messy. To address parents' concerns, Simmons BackCare Kids™ features MoistureBan™ that repels all liquids, including urine, perspiration and drinks, while providing maximum comfort in a breathable and durable fabric. This new MoistureBan™ technology uses Nano-Pel fabrics that allow water and oil spills to easily bead and roll off the fabric without penetrating into the fibres, hence providing soil and stain resistance.

Without compromising the comfort of the fabric, Nano-Pel technology utilises "nano-whiskers" that are 1/1000th the size of a typical cotton fibre (tinier than a virus particle). The "nano-whiskers" are permanently attached to the individual fibres of the fabric. If any liquid falls on the surface of the fabric, it will sit on top of the whiskers, to prevent moisture from penetrating the padding of the mattress and enabling easy cleaning and care.

"The Simmons Backcare Kids™ is designed with the child's needs in mind. We know for a fact that it is essential for children to have about 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to function optimally. Insufficient sleep leads to lethargy, shortened attention spans, impeded growth and increased susceptibility to viral infections. Every parent should realise the importance of sleep. Just as nutrition and exercise are necessary for the mind and body to develop and function, we need to pay attention to our child's sleep quality for peak performance," stressed Mr Koo.

"A recent survey showing a growing number of children in Singapore being treated for sleep disorders serves as a wake-up call to parents to seriously look into their child's sleep hygiene, in terms of the sleep environment and their sleep quality, and not just on their child's academic excellence. Thus, Simmons BackCare Kids™ is our way of providing a value proposition to our consumers to benefit them and aid their children's well-being in the long run," added Mr Koo.

Simmons BackCare Kids™ is available in BackCare Kids™ 1 and BackCare Kids™ 2. Simmons BackCare Kids™ 1 is made to fit low profile beds, such as bunk beds. It features the traditional bonnell coil system with a height of approximately 16.5cm. Simmons BackCare Kids™ 2 boosts Simmons signature Pocketed Coil^® technology, with a height of approximately 28cm. Body contouring Pocketed Coils^® act independently and conform to the natural spinal alignment, providing unmatched stability and support for kids as they sleep. Simmons BackCare Kids™ will be available in stores from 22 December 2003.

Maker of Beautyrest^®, BackCare^® and Connoisseur™, Atlanta-based Simmons Company entered the Singapore market in 1977. In Asia, the licence to manufacture, distribute and market Simmons is owned by Simmons Japan Co., a full subsidiary of Nifco Group, a listed multinational company headquartered in Japan with a diverse business portfolio, which includes the Japan Times. Simmons (Southeast Asia) Pte Ltd, which was set up in 1993, reports to Simmons Japan and is the headquarters to 19 countries in Asia.

Through its corporate philosophy of Better Sleep Through Science™, Simmons is committed to the relentless pursuit of research and development to design superior quality mattresses and to ultimately deliver better sleep. The Company's commitment to its cause is evident not only in its awareness campaigns to educate Singaporeans on sleep but also in its constant introduction of innovative sleep solutions. These solutions include the Simmons BetterSleep™, Simmons BackCare^® Original Series that champions Better Sleep Better Health™ by harnessing the health benefits of negative ions in some of its models and improve back support while sleeping by up to 20 per cent and now, the Simmons BackCare Kids™, the industry's first juvenile mattress with MoistureBan™ and AllergyCare™ features.

Issued on behalf of:
Simmons (Southeast Asia) Pte Ltd

By:
Foreword Communications

Contacts:
Sharon Wan or Cindy Chen
Tel: 6338 5918
Email: sharon@foreword.com.sg or cindy@foreword.com.sg

Or

Michelle Ng
Assistant Manager
Corporate & Marketing Communications
DID: 6290 9221
Email: michelle.ng@simmons.com.sg