Corsicana Mattress Co. closing Chesterfield plant in Aug.

Chesterfield County’s former Symbol mattress production plant will close in August, laying off 54 employees, owner Corsicana Mattress Co. announced Thursday. Production will be absorbed into the company’s plants in Connecticut and North Carolina.

“It appears that this location is a victim of both a competitive realignment and lower product demand,” Garrett Hart, director of Chesterfield’s economic development department, said Friday. “We will be working with the affected employees to assist them getting reemployed with other businesses in Chesterfield. We will also be working with the building owner on getting the building back in use by another company. Based on the current very high demand for both workers and buildings in the region, I am very optimistic that both the employees and the building will be back at work very quickly.”

Dallas-based Corsicana purchased rival Symbol — a business founded in Richmond in 1961 as Eastern Sleep Products Co. — in April 2021. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but officials estimated $540 million in combined sales for 2021, as well as 16 manufacturing facilities and 1,400 employees.

Chesterfield’s 75,000-square-foot Symbol plant at 2001 Bellwood Road was among the properties included in the deal, but Corsicana has been streamlining its holdings. It announced last month the closing of its Laporte, Indiana, facility.

Corsicana produces a “mattress-in-a-box” line that is easier to ship than traditional mattresses.

“This consolidation is necessary to continue streamlining our manufacturing footprint, to drive efficiencies and effectiveness. Our Newington and Greensboro plants have the expertise and capacity to effectively service our customers in the mid-Atlantic region,” Corsicana CEO Eric Rhea said in a statement. “We are grateful to the local community and employees for their support and expect a smooth transition.”