Mattress Firm to Open in South Dakota

October 25, 2013  by in Bedding, Furniture Retailing, Industry, Product   

Harry Roberts, who helped found the retailer 27 years ago, will open three franchise stores in the city. The first store is set to open Nov. 16.

While Mattress Firm was founded in Houston, Texas, all three of its founders hail from South Dakota. Roberts, a current franchise owner, has been the driving force behind bringing the company back to South Dakota and establishing a store presence in the state.

“While Mattress Firm stores may be new to South Dakota, South Dakota isn’t new to Mattress Firm,” Roberts said. “University of South Dakota graduates fill many roles in the organization today including our EVP of marketing, VP of learning and development, director of talent, acquisition and recruiting and field leadership roles. I’m very excited that by building a presence in our home state, we will be able to provide more employment opportunities, and also offer our wide selection of mattresses and excellent customer service to local customers.”

When Roberts, Paul Stork and Steve Fendrich started Mattress Firm in 1986, they set out to create a unique shopping experience for guests by providing a large selection of quality name brand mattresses at a competitive price in a clean, upscale environment. This store environment didn’t exist in the 1980s. In fact, Mattress Firm stores were among the first to remove mattresses from plastic covers so that guests could comfortably test them.

Today, guests can test the latest in sleep technology and compare more than 55 different models of mattresses from manufacturers like Sealy,  Serta,  Simmons  and Tempur-Pedic.  

“Mattress Firm has come a long way in the past 27 years,” said Steve Stagner, president and CEO of Mattress Firm. “Harry Roberts is one of the most talented businessmen that I know. He established a truly unique company and store concept that continues to grow and resonate with customers around the country. He exemplifies hard work, dedication and focus on our customers, and we are very pleased that he will be leading the new stores in South Dakota.”

 The homecoming to South Dakota brings a great sense of accomplishment to Roberts.

“It feels good to be able to serve the community I grew up in," he said. "Mattress Firm has changed my life as well as countless others. I believe in this company because it’s about people – the people that work here, the people we partner with and the people we serve. This has been an incredible journey and I’m so happy that I can bring it home to South Dakota.”