It has been a tumultuous nine months for some of the most famous brands in the electric blanket category. In August 2013, Sleepmaster, marketer of Jason, Onkaparinga and Klikk, was placed in receivership after 75 years of operations in Australia.
Mike King, an expert analyst for The Motley Fool, attributed this collapse to, “Price deflation, the high Australian dollar, intense competition in the retail sector, cheap imports and online competition”.
Towards the end of 2013, WAM Home Décor acquired the Jason, Onkaparinga and Trailmaster brands from Sleepmaster’s receivers.
Located in Derrimut, in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, WAM Home Décor has been an importer and wholesaler of textiles, manchester and homewares for over 40 years, according to a company statement.
“WAM aims to continue sourcing and introducing a constant turnover of new and exciting products, that not only look good but are of good quality that meets today’s market expectations,” a spokesperson said. “WAM aims to adapt and change to a constantly changing market place and to work with clients and customers to ensure a high level of satisfaction and service.”
At the time of writing, WAM hadn’t finalised its plans for its new electric blankets brands and the stock that was carried over from Sleepmaster.