Tempur Sealy is back with Mattress Firm
Mattress Firm and the maker of Tempur-Pedic mattresses are getting back together less than a year after a bitter dispute over accusations that Mattress Firm was illegally selling lookalike products under the similar name “Therapedic.”
The nation’s largest mattress retailer and Tempur Sealy International, the second largest mattress manufacturer, have resolved their differences and renewed a sales partnership. Their original deal imploded amid acrimony in 2017, and their clash spilled into court in 2018 over the Therapedic allegations.
Tempur Sealy announced Tuesday that it would begin providing its products once again to Mattress Firm, which remains the No. 1 mattress seller despite its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2018 that culminated in about 640 store closures.
The new deal gives Mattress Firm the right to sell Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster and Sealy branded mattresses in its 2,500 stores beginning in the fourth quarter.
“The expansion of our distribution is a testament to the strength of our brands, coupled with reliable manufacturing and quality service,” Tempur Sealy CEO Scott Thompson said in a statement. “Our premium brands and innovative products have allowed us to service a growing customer base.”
After Tempur Sealy initially lost the Mattress Firm deal, archrival Serta Simmons Bedding landed the Mattress Firm contract. But the deal turned out to be less lucrative than the company had envisioned.
Serta Simmons said Tuesday that it will continue to sell products at Mattress Firm. The company said it will benefit from increased foot traffic into stores and that its products will prove to be superior.
Tempur Sealy had filed a lawsuit against Mattress Firm in August 2018, accusing the retailer of “conspiring” to sell mattresses that bore a strong resemblance to its Tempur-Pedic brand.
They settled that lawsuit this year and confirmed that they had launched negotiations to resume sales.
Weeks later, Mattress Firm CEO Steve Stagner resigned abruptly in what analysts viewed as a necessary step to address the scar tissue between the two companies.