Mattress suppliers say they will honour Robinsons customers' orders; hundreds affected

SIMMONS, Sealy Singapore and King Koil, three of Robinsons Singapore's suppliers of mattresses and beds, have said they will honour customers' orders, despite not having been paid yet by Robinsons.

Simmons said on Wednesday evening: "The Robinsons' liquidation has impacted both suppliers like us and our valued end-customers like you. We understand and empathise with our customers' distress and anxiety over these last few days. In appreciation of your loyalty and support for our brand, and notwithstanding Robinsons' inability to pay Simmons, Simmons will honour and fulfil all customers' orders which have paid in full to Robinsons."

It added that no additional payment will be required from customers, and that it will contact every customer "as soon as possible" to arrange for delivery.

For Robinsons customers who have made deposits or partial payments, Simmons will also absorb the deposit or partial payment made to Robinsons. In total, Simmons will absorb more than S$1 million in costs, it told The Business Times.

Sealy likewise said in a Facebook post that Robinsons' closure has resulted in "hundreds" of its customers having paid Robinsons in full for their Sealy beds, but that Sealy itself had not been paid to supply and deliver them.

But "notwithstanding Robinsons' failure to pay" the company, it will honour the orders placed by customers who have paid Robinsons in full for Sealy beds and will supply and deliver those orders to the customers, it said.

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There will be no additional payment required from those customers beyond a S$50 delivery fee.

King Koil, in a Facebook post, also said that it will fulfill orders for customers who have made full payments to Robinsons; partial payments or deposits will be absorbed by the mattress company. It added that there will be "no transportation and/or other hidden charges imposed".

News of Robinsons' impending winding up last Friday first drew waves of nostalgia for the 162-year-old business. The sentiment, however, turned into vitriol as suppliers and customers voiced concerns about pending payments and orders.

Robinsons later said that the unfulfilled orders were a "priority issue" to be addressed with the suppliers and that it was scheduling meetings with the suppliers on an "urgent basis".

Meanwhile, crowds still throng Robinsons' last two outlets at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre, which could remain open till mid to end-December. This is according to a document answering customers' frequently asked questions uploaded online by Robinsons' appointed liquidators KordaMentha.

Robinsons' exit will put an end to at least six years of losses that it has chalked up against declining revenues.

It had acknowledged that the department store model had become outdated amid a changing consumer landscape, and that the Covid-19 pandemic later made those challenges more acute.