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Case Study

Elite: The digital mattress company

By Benoit F. Leleux, Marc Chauvet, Thierry Cairus and Olivier Blanc

17 pages

June 2018

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Reference: IMD-7-1984

François Pugliese acquired Elite Beds in Etoy in a small buy-in in 2006 and then proceeded to re-invent completely its business, first by pivoting its business model and introducing Smart Leases and then by digitizing it, turning the mattress into a true technology platform, with dozens of innovative projects in the pipeline. As he proceeded to the conference room for the Board meeting in April 2017, François wondered whether it would help to prioritize the projects, and if so how? Did these projects effectively represent another pivot for the company again? Was it time to force change again?

Learning Objective

Managing growth
Engineering a buy-in, financing deals
Strategic pivots
Business model changes
Innovation management
Digitalization of the mattress
Technology platforms, growth management
Innovation portfolio management.

Keywords

Strategy, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Buy-out, Growth Management, Career Choice, Pivoting, Business Model, Innovation, Digital Transformation, Retail, Leasing, Leadership

Settings

Switzerland
Elite Beds, Consumer Goods, Furniture
2007-2017

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

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