Numerous jobs saved Bankruptcy averted: Investor takes over traditional Swiss mattress brands
The Swiss mattress brands Superba and Swissflex were threatened with bankruptcy after the Portuguese parent company fell into crisis. A buyer has now been found for Aquinos Bedding Switzerland AG.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The bankruptcy of the company behind the Swiss mattress brands Superba and Swissflex has been averted.
- The Belgian company Matrafoam, which owns several mattress and bed companies in Belgium and Germany, has stepped in as an investor.
- Aquinos Bedding Switzerland AG in Flüh SO was threatened with closure after the Portuguese parent company fell into crisis.
- Dozens of jobs were at stake.
The bankruptcy of Aquinos Bedding Switzerland AG - the company behind the Superba and Swissflex mattress brands - has been averted, according to CH Media. "Around 40 employees are to be taken on and the necessary production resources made available," the head of the Western Bankruptcy Office of the Canton of Lucerne informed the media company.
According to "bz Basel", the Belgian company Matrafoam, which owns several mattress and bed companies in Belgium and Germany, is joining as an investor. Matrafoam is taking over Aquinos Bedding Switzerland AG with the newly founded Lunora AG. This company has its headquarters in Büron LU, as CH Media wrote. Negotiations are still underway regarding the headquarters.
The newly founded company Lunora, which will take over production in Flüh SO, will be managed by the previous managing director Markus Zoller. According to Zoller, the company will be able to resume production immediately. It will take around two weeks until the stocks of raw materials are fully replenished, he told "bz Basel".
Many employees continued to work without pay
As many employees had not resigned despite not receiving their wages in recent weeks, the factory was also well staffed to restart production, Zoller said.
The suppliers' invoices have apparently not been paid, which is why there is a shortage of many materials, which has brought production to a standstill in recent weeks. In the hope that a solution could still be found for their business, the employees apparently devoted themselves to repair, tidying and cleaning work during this time.
Aquinos Bedding Switzerland AG was insolvent, as was announced in November. The company had been under provisional debt-restructuring moratorium since September, followed by formal bankruptcy at the end of October.
Mattress manufacturers in other countries also affected
The name Aquinos is hardly known in Switzerland, but Superba and Swissflex are among the most traditional brands in the domestic mattress market. After the takeover by the Belgian group Recticel in the late 1990s, production was relocated to Solothurn and Belgium. In 2022, the Portuguese Aquinos Group took over Recticel's entire bed division.
Aquinos is one of the largest European mattress and upholstery manufacturers. The company is in a financial crisis that is not only affecting the company in Leimental, Solothurn, but also Aquinos companies in other countries such as the Netherlands.
