Mattress Firm to Strengthen Balance Sheet and Optimize Store Footprint through Court-Supervised Prepackaged Financial Restructuring

HOUSTON, Oct. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mattress Firm, Inc. ("Mattress Firm" or "the Company"), the nation's leading specialty mattress retailer, today announced that it is taking action to strengthen its balance sheet and optimize its store footprint. To achieve these objectives, the Company and its subsidiaries today filed voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to implement a prepackaged plan of reorganization that, among other things, provides the Company access to new financing to support the business, establishes an efficient and orderly process for closing certain economically inefficient store locations, and provides for all trade creditors to continue being paid in full for goods and services provided.   

Mattress Firm will continue to be the largest specialty mattress retailer in the nation with thousands of stores across the country and remains committed to offering a large selection of quality, brand name mattresses and bedding products at competitive prices. The Company is continuing to serve customers as usual at stores across the nation and online. Mattress Firm anticipates that deliveries will be made as scheduled, and the Company intends that warranties, guarantees and other customer programs will be honored as usual.

Steve Stagner, Executive Chairman, President and CEO of Mattress Firm, said, "The process we have initiated today will allow us to strengthen our balance sheet and accelerate the optimization of our store portfolio. Leading up to the holiday shopping season, we will exit up to 700 stores in certain markets where we have too many locations in close proximity to each other. We intend to use the additional liquidity from these actions to improve our product offering, provide greater value to our customers, open new stores in new markets, and strategically expand in existing markets where we see the greatest opportunities to serve our customers."

"Mattress Firm is the nation's leading specialty mattress retailer, and we will continue to provide unmatched value to our customers by offering the best quality beds at prices that fit any budget today, tomorrow and into the future," Mr. Stagner continued. "We thank our suppliers and partners for their continued support, as well as the contractors we partner with to make deliveries across our markets, all of whom will continue to be paid in full in the normal course for products and services provided. We also thank our team members for their continued commitment and dedication to serving our customers."

In conjunction with its prepackaged restructuring plan, Mattress Firm received commitments for approximately $250 million in debtor-in-possession financing, which, subject to Court approval, will be available to support its ongoing operations during the Chapter 11 proceedings. The Company also obtained commitments for $525 million of senior secured credit facilities enabling it to emerge from Chapter 11 and support operations thereafter. Mattress Firm expects to complete the prepackaged restructuring process within the next 45 to 60 days.

Mattress Firm has filed a number of customary motions with the court seeking authorization to support its operations during the restructuring process. These include authority to continue payment of employee wages and health and welfare benefits, and to continue to honor its customer policies and programs, including warranties, returns/exchanges and promotions. The Company's prepackaged plan of reorganization provides for all suppliers and contractors to be unimpaired by this process. Accordingly, the Company has filed a motion seeking court authorization to pay suppliers and contractors in full under normal terms for all goods and services provided prior to and after the filing date.

To facilitate the store optimization plan, the Company has filed motions with the court seeking authority to reject up to 700 leases. An initial group of approximately 200 stores are expected to be closed in the next few days. Decisions about additional store closings will be made in the next few weeks.

Additional information can be accessed by visiting the Company's restructuring website at www.mattressfirm.com/restructuring. Court filings and other documents related to the court-supervised process in the U.S. are available on a separate website administered by the Company's claims agent, Epiq, at http://dm.epiq11.com/MattressFirm. Information is also available by calling 877-214-3592 (toll-free in the U.S.) or 503-520-4465 (for parties outside the U.S.).

A&G Realty Partners is assisting the Company with its store closing and lease restructuring program. Mattress Firm landlords are encouraged to contact A&G Realty Partners through its website, www.agrealtypartners.com.   

Sidley Austin LLP is serving as the Company's legal counsel, AlixPartners LLP is serving as its financial advisor, and Guggenheim Securities, LLC is serving as its restructuring advisor.

About Mattress Firm
Founded in 1986, Mattress Firm strives to help customers find the beds they want at the price that fits their budget. Today, Mattress Firm has grown to be America's largest specialty mattress retailer, with neighborhood stores in 49 states across the country and a passion for helping people find the right bed. Mattress Firm helps customers' budget stretch further with a broad selection of mattresses and bedding accessories from leading manufacturers and brand names, including Serta, Simmons, tulo, Sleepy's, Chattam & Wells and Purple. In 2016, Mattress Firm was acquired by Steinhoff International Holdings, N.V. Committed to serving its communities, the Mattress Firm Foster Kids initiative, a program of the Ticket to Dream Foundation, hosts six collection drives a year in communities nationwide to ensure that foster children have the resources needed to succeed.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain of the information contained herein is by its nature forward-looking and contains estimates, assumptions and projections that may be materially different from actual future results.  The words "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "plan," "project," "assume," "seek," "target," "future" and similar expressions identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that ultimately may not prove to be accurate. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur, and actual results or conditions could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements were made or any earlier date indicated, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in underlying assumptions or otherwise. If the Company were in any particular instance to update or correct a forward-looking statement, investors and others should not conclude that the Company would make additional updates or corrections thereafter.

SOURCE Mattress Firm