Temu Sales Surge Fuels New Jobs & Export Push at UK Mattress Maker

A Yorkshire mattress maker is turning to Temu to expand beyond the UK as it looks for new customers at home and abroad. The Sleep People, a family-run manufacturer, said sales jumped 27% within three weeks of launching on the online marketplace earlier this year.

The increase has allowed the company to add staff in Yorkshire and develop a new training and jobs program for armed forces veterans. It builds on existing community work that includes partnerships with disability charities, food bank donations, and providing mattresses to families experiencing sleep poverty.

Image: Mike Worden, Managing Director of The Sleep People

Founded in 2014, The Sleep People makes mattresses and bedding under value-for-money brands including The Foam People, Extreme Comfort, and Starlight Beds. Its factories produce more than 1,400 mattresses a day, with annual turnover topping £20 million. Rising material costs and competition from low-priced imports, as well as the

increasing costs of living in the UK, have put pressure on the business, making Temu’s global reach an attractive new sales channel.

“We had the production capacity and the quality, but reaching new customers through traditional routes was getting harder,” said Mike Worden, 49, managing director of The Sleep People. “Temu gave us access to a much broader base of shoppers.”

Temu began serving UK consumers in 2023 and opened its platform to local businesses the following year. Since then, thousands of small businesses have joined to sell on Temu, adding to the range of products available. A 2025 Ipsos study found more than 80% of Temu users in the UK believe the platform offers good value, with three-quarters likely to recommend it to others.

Today, Temu is available in over 90 markets globally, an attractive channel for businesses looking to break into new markets.

Worden said Temu’s customer insights have helped The Sleep People refine its range and target different regions more effectively. “Temu felt like a partner—open, agile, and aligned with how we do business," he said.

The boost in orders has also helped support its social commitments. In 2024, the company has donated more than 500,000 food items to local food banks and thousands of mattresses to households in need.

Looking ahead, The Sleep People plans to broaden its range into premium sleep accessories and sustainable materials, with Temu central to its UK and overseas sales.

“Our goal is to show that British-made products can compete internationally while continuing to support our local communities,” Worden said.

Click here to watch a video about the partnership

Image : Staff member at The Sleep People

Source : The Sleep People / Temu

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