On the record · Other
Mattress Firm
Largest mattress retailer. Acquired by Steinhoff International for $3.8B in 2016, filed for bankruptcy in 2018 closing 700 stores after aggressive over-expansion
Research depth
Outcomes researched
Reviewed operating findings or a classified operating outcome are available.
Record updated Sept. 4, 2026
Current ownership
Recorded current owner
Control interest · Since Feb. 5, 2025
These are database records. Death by PE has not published a reviewed current-owner finding for them.
Ownership and transaction history
Chronology from recorded ownership periods, transactions and reviewed outcome events. Event order does not imply causation.
May 9, 2023
Feb. 5, 2025
Feb. 5, 2025
What happened under and after ownership
Operating outcome
Operating through distress or restructuring
Filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 in October 2018, exiting bankruptcy one month later after closing about 700 underperforming stores; stores stayed open during the process.
Acquired by Tempur Sealy International in a deal that closed in February 2025 after Tempur Sealy prevailed over an FTC challenge.
- Founded
- 1986
- Peak headcount
- 10,000
- Sponsor at closure
- Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.
- Cause
- Roll-up integration · with debt left at exit
- Retail Dive · prepackaged Chapter 11, stores remaining open, store closures
- Simpson Thacher · 2025 · Tempur Sealy acquisition closing after FTC litigation
- Wikipedia · Mattress Firm was founded July 4, 1986 in Houston, Texas by Steve Fendrich, Harry Roberts and Paul Stork; Steinhoff International, which bought Mattress Firm fo
- The Daily Economy · Mattress Firm's roll-up of competitors including Sleepy's created heavy store overlap and debt that led directly to the October 2018 Chapter 11 filing and closu
Sources and evidence
Recorded transaction sources
These support a recorded transaction row. They have not passed the separate evidence-review process.
- R1Tempur Sealy Successfully Completes Acquisition of Mattress Firm
Somnigroup International Inc. · Company announcement · Feb. 5, 2025
Supports: Recorded ownership period; Recorded transaction
What we do not know
These are gaps in the public record, not findings about the organization.
- No current public ownership assessment has been published.
Help improve this record
Firsthand experience, public sources and corrections can help close the gaps above.