When small becomes big

Sheela Foam, the mattress market leader, is expanding its portfolio and reach

Sheela Foam Chairman and Managing Director Rahul Gautam, 65, an IIT-Kanpur engineer who completed his masters in the US, has been quietly giving shape to Sheela Foam for close to five decades.

Sheela Foam is the maker and marketer of Sleepwell mattresses. Organised players account for nearly 65 per cent of the market, and Sleepwell is the leader with a market share of around 23 per cent.

The company, which went public in November 2016 — it was the first to do so after demonetisation, with a Rs 5 billion share sale — did not start out as a maker of mattresses.