ONE of Okehampton's biggest employers, bed manufacturer Sprung Slumber, has been acquired by a major international company for £5.4-million.

The North Road business, which employs around 155 staff from the Okehampton area, was bought last week by the UK subsidiary of South African-listed furniture group Steinhoff.

Previous owners Airsprung Furniture said it had sold the profitable Okehampton business to concentrate its bed production into a single site at Trowbridge.

Sprung Slumber has been in business for more than 40 years and has annual sales of £11-million and a strong profit record. The company also employs 20 workers at Par in Cornwall.

Ian Topping, managing director of Steinhoff UK, commenting on the acquisition, said: 'Sprung Slumber will be operated very much as a stand-alone business.

'The business itself hasa long pedigree and track record which we hope to build on and make even better.'

Mr Topping added: 'The business fits into the group very well. It has a complementary product range and extends the range of customers we deal with.'

Mr Topping said Steinhoff UK welcomed its 175 new colleagues and looked forward to working with them to move forward and make the company more successful in the future.

Steinhoff UK now employs around 1,000 staff across five divisions of the company.

Markus Jooste, Steinhoff CEO said: 'With the addition of Sprung Slumber, Steinhoff UK now offers greater choice to a wider range of customers in line with our strategy to expand market coverage through complementary products and to participate in the consolidation trend that is prevalent in the European markets in which we operate.'