Mattress Firm buying Sleep Train for $425 m..

Acquisitions • Bedding company with 19 Utah locations adding 310 Sleep Train stores.

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Houston • Mattress Firm is buying The Sleep Train Inc. for $425 million to help bolster its position in the specialty retail bedding industry.

Sleep Train runs approximately 310 retail stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii. Mattress Firm Holding Corp. has more than 1,500 company-run and franchised stores in 36 states, including 19 in Utah. Its brands include Sealy, Serta and Tempur-Pedic.

As part of the deal announced Thursday, Houston-based Mattress Firm said it will also assume certain additional liabilities totaling about $15 million.

It plans to continue operating under both the Mattress Firm and Sleep Train brands and will keep privately held Sleep Train's corporate headquarters near Sacramento.

Sleep Train CEO Dale Carlsen will become president and chief strategy officer after the acquisition is complete. He will also become Mattress Firm's vice chairman. Sleep Train chief operating officer Rob Killgore will become co-COO, sharing the post with current Mattress Firm COO Ken Murphy.

The deal is targeted to close by the fiscal fourth quarter's end. Both companies' boards have unanimously approved the transaction.

Mattress Firm buying Sleep Train for $425 million