Mattress manufacturer will close early next year

A Schuylkill County-based mattress manufacturer said it will close Feb. 3, affecting nearly 60 employees.

The closure for Corsicana Bedding in Barnesville would affect 59 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN notice sent by the company’s HR director to the state Department of Labor & Industry.

In a letter dated Nov. 27, Carla Weber, human resources director of Corsicana Mattress Co., said the plant at 1214 Morea Road in Barnesville will close to restructure its business because of major changes in the industry. These changes include the growth of online bed-in-a-box retailers, the rise of imports, and the shrinking footprint of its major brick and mortar customers.

The company informed employees of the closure in a letter Dec. 3.

A call to the company’s Barnsville site requesting comment was not immediately returned.

Corsicana Bedding LLC does business as Corsicana Mattress Co., with company headquarters in Corsicana, Texas.

In a statement, Weber said the affected jobs in Barnesville are manufacturing and office jobs. In addition, the company will offer a small group of its employees other opportunities in Corsicana’s Connecticut facility. The company has 12 locations and 10 are manufacturing facilities, including the Barnesville site, which has been operating since March 2012, she said.

Darlene Robbins, executive director of the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers & Employers Association in Pottsville said she had heard that the facility was closing but did not receive any information as to the reason why.

“Any time a manufacturer or employer closes its doors, it’s very disheartening,” Robbins said. “But with the number of job openings in our region, they should be able to find employment with help from CareerLink.”

Pa. CareerLink in Pottsville is offering services for the displaced workers.

It should not be difficult for the displaced workers to find employment, she added, noting that there are a lot of job openings in the county.