Dutch bedding company Beter Bed announced in April that it would be partnering with Philips to develop "high-tech solutions" to measure and improve quality of sleep. While this partnership may seem equal, the patent data shows that Philips is pulling most of the weight.

Beter Bed is a market leader in mattress and bedding retail sales in its native Netherlands. Compulsory store closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted sales, though the company reported outperforming the rest of the bedding market in 2020. In December of 2020, it also announced that it would soon introduce a mattress with sensors to provide better physical support. However, Beter has no patents in the U.S. or elsewhere for any type of sleep technology. So how exactly will this partnership work? 

Followers of the Patent Forecast® will know that Philips is the second largest corporate patent owner in Consumer Sleep and has much more high tech to offer than Beter Beds. How the companies will split the development, and the IP assets, remains to be seen. Patent Forecast® recently analyzed a similar deal between Mattress Firm and SleepScore. This partnership could be part of a trend of more traditional retailers partnering with electronics companies to develop consumer products. It also reveals a good move for companies planning to enter the U.S. market: identify potential partners with patents first. Keep using the Consumer Sleep Patent Forecast® to understand how business decisions are driven by patent data.