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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP. Table of Contents
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-K



(Mark One)    

ý

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended January 28, 2014

OR

o

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934

For the Transition Period from                    to                  

Commission file number 001-35354



MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)



Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  20-8185960
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

5815 Gulf Freeway
Houston, Texas 77023

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

(713) 923-1090
Registrant's telephone number, including area code

          Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class   Name of Each Exchange on which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share   NASDAQ Global Select Market

          Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Yes o    No ý

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o    No ý

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý    No o

          Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer o   Accelerated filer ý   Non-accelerated filer o
(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
  Smaller reporting company o

          Indicate by check mark whether registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o    No ý

          On July 30, 2013, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the shares of common stock beneficially held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $597.1 million. (For purposes hereof, directors, executive officers and 10% or greater stockholders have been deemed affiliates).

          As of March 21, 2014, 34,013,610 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the registrant were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

          Items 10 through 14 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporate by reference certain information from the registrant's definitive proxy statement for the 2014 annual meeting of stockholders, which the registrant intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after January 28, 2014, the end of the registrant's 2013 fiscal year. With the exception of the sections of the definitive proxy statement specifically incorporated herein by reference, the definitive proxy statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

   


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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws that relate to future events or our future financial performance. In many cases, you can identify forward- looking statements by terminology such as "may," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are made based on our management's expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to our operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These uncertainties and other factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

        Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements are set forth under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A. of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on information available to us on the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

        Some of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or financial condition to differ materially from expectations are:

    a reduction in discretionary spending by consumers;

    our ability to profitably open and operate new stores;

    our intent to aggressively open additional stores in our existing markets;

    our relationship with certain mattress manufacturers as our primary suppliers;

    our dependence on a few key employees;

    the possible impairment of our goodwill or other acquired intangible assets;

    the effect of our planned growth and the integration of our acquisitions on our business infrastructure;

    the impact of seasonality on our financial results and comparable-store sales;

    fluctuations in our comparable-store sales from quarter to quarter;

    our ability to raise adequate capital to support our expansion strategy;

    our future expansion into new, unfamiliar markets;

    our success in pursuing strategic acquisitions;

    the effectiveness and efficiency of our advertising expenditures;

    our success in keeping warranty claims and comfort exchange return rates within acceptable levels;

    our ability to deliver our products in a timely manner;

    our status as a holding company with no business operations;

    our ability to anticipate consumer trends;

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    heightened competition;

    changes in applicable regulations;

    risks related to our franchises, including our lack of control over their operations, their ability to finance and open new stores and our liabilities if they default on note or lease obligations;

    risks related to our stock; and

    other factors discussed in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in this report and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").


NOTE REGARDING TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS

        We own or have rights to use the trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in conjunction with the operation of our business. Some of the more important trademarks that we own that appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include "Mattress Firm®," "Comfort By Color®," "Mattress Firm Red Carpet Delivery Service®," "Hampton & Rhodes®," "Mattress Firm SuperCenter®," "Happiness Guarantee®," "Replace Every 8®," "Save Money. Sleep Happy®," "Sleep Happy™,"" "Side by side before you decide™," "Nobody Sells for Less, Nobody!™" and "All the best brands...All the best prices!®." Trademarks, trade names or service marks of other companies appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are, to our knowledge, the property of their respective owners.


NOTE REGARDING MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

        Industry and market data included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were obtained from our own internal data, data from industry trade publications and groups (primarily Furniture Today, Workplace Dynamics and the International Sleep Products Association, or "ISPA"), consumer research and marketing studies and, in some cases, are management estimates based on industry and other knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate. Our estimates have been based on information obtained from our suppliers, customers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate. We believe these estimates and the third party information mentioned above to be accurate as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.
Table of Contents

 
   
  Page  

Part I.

       

Item 1.

 

Business

    4  

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

    14  

Item 1B.

 

Unresolved Staff Comments

    27  

Item 2.

 

Properties

    27  

Item 3.

 

Legal Proceedings

    27  

Item 4.

 

Mine Safety Disclosures

    27  

Part II.

       

Item 5.

 

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

    28  

Item 6.

 

Selected Financial Data

    30  

Item 7.

 

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

    34  

Item 7A.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

    59  

Item 8.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

    61  

Item 9.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

    106  

Item 9A.

 

Controls and Procedures

    106  

Item 9B.

 

Other Information

    106  

Part III.

       

Item 10.

 

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

    107  

Item 11.

 

Executive Compensation

    107  

Item 12.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

    107  

Item 13.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

    107  

Item 14.

 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

    107  

Part IV.

       

Item 15.

 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

    107  

 

Signatures

    117  

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Part I

Item 1.    Business

        Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms "Mattress Firm," "our company," "the Company," "we," "us," "our" and the like refer to Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Unless otherwise indicated, (i) the term "our stores" refers to our company-operated stores and our franchised stores and (ii) when used in relation to our company, the terms "market" and "markets" refer to the metropolitan statistical area or an aggregation of the metropolitan statistical areas in which we or our franchisees operate.

        In this report, we refer to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as "EBITDA" and we refer to earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization and other adjustments (such as goodwill impairment charges, loss on store closings and acquisition expenses), or "Adjusted EBITDA." EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not performance measures under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or "U.S. GAAP." See "Item 6. Selected Financial Data" below for a definition of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to EBITDA and to net income.

        We report on the basis of a 52- or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Tuesday closest to January 31. Each fiscal year is described by the period of the calendar year that comprises the majority of the fiscal year period. For example, the fiscal year ended January 28, 2014 is described as "fiscal 2013."Fiscal 2013 contained 52 weeks.

Our Company

        We are a leading specialty retailer of mattresses and related products and accessories in the United States. As of January 28, 2014, we and our franchisees operated 1,225 and 136 stores, respectively, primarily under the Mattress Firm name, in 89 markets across 35 states. In 2012, we ranked first among the top 100 U.S. furniture stores for growth in store count and second in percentage increase in sales and first overall in total sales among specialty retailers according to Furniture Today. Based on our analysis of information published to date in Furniture Today and Company data, we believe that, among multi-brand mattress specialty retailers in the United States, we have the largest geographic footprint, the greatest number of stores nationwide and the highest levels of net sales on an aggregate basis. We believe that, in our markets, Mattress Firm is a highly recognized brand known for its broad selection, superior service and compelling value proposition. Based on our analysis of public store information for our competitors and our Company data, we believe that in the markets we have operated stores in for more than one year that more than 90% of our company-operated stores in these markets are in markets in which we had the number one market share position as of January 28, 2014. Since our founding in 1986 in Houston, Texas, we have expanded our operations across four time zones, with the goal of becoming the premier national mattress specialty retailer. Mattress Firm Holding Corp. is a Delaware corporation incorporated in January 2007 under the name Mattress Interco, Inc. Through a reorganization that occurred in January 2007 and subsequent acquisitions, Mattress Firm Holding Corp. acquired its consolidated subsidiaries including Mattress Firm, Inc., the primary operating subsidiary.

        We believe our destination retail format provides our customers with a convenient, distinctive and enjoyable shopping experience. Key highlights that make us a preferred destination and that differentiate our brand and services include:

    extensive product selection from top name brands;

    contemporary, easy-to-navigate store design utilizing our unique Comfort By Color® merchandising approach that organizes mattresses by comfort style;

    differentiated marketing approach;

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    price, comfort and service guarantees;

    superior customer service by our educated, extensively-trained and commissioned sales associates of whom over 96% are full-time employees;

    Mattress Firm Red Carpet Delivery Service®, which includes a three-hour delivery window; and

    highly visible and convenient store locations in major retail trade areas.

        Our stores effectively provide our customers with a convenient "one stop shop" buying experience. We carry a broad assortment of leading national mattress brands and our exclusive brands, both containing a wide range of styles, sizes, price points and unique features. We provide our customers with their choice of traditional mattresses, including Sealy, Stearns & Foster and Simmons, as well as specialty mattresses, such as Tempur-Pedic® for which we are the largest retailer in the United States, Serta's iComfort® line and Tempur Sealy's Optimum™ line. We also offer a variety of bedding-related products and accessories.

        We drive profitability in the markets in which we operate by penetrating a market with stores and leveraging fixed and discretionary costs, such as occupancy and advertising, as we gain sales volume, grow our brand presence and advance our operational scale. We have a proven track record of growing our store base through organic new store openings and acquisitions that typically include rebranding of the acquired stores to Mattress Firm. In fiscal 2013, we generated net sales, Adjusted EBITDA (non US GAAP measure) and net income of $1,216.8 million, $140.0 million and $52.9 million, respectively. (See "Item 6. Selected Financial Data" for a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income.) From February 2, 2011 to January 28, 2014, we added 721 stores, which included 343 stores added through opportunistic, strategic acquisitions. Many of these stores were located in existing markets which allows us to further fuel our relative market share model and increase advertising spend to drive top line sales while gaining operational efficiencies. We grew our net sales as well as Adjusted EBITDA at compound annual rates of 20.0% and 17.0%, respectively, during the same period.

        During fiscal 2013, we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the operations and assets of Olejo, Inc., a growing online retailer focused primarily on mattresses and related accessories, the equity interests in NE Mattress People, LLC (which operated Mattress People stores), substantially all of the operations and assets of Perfect Mattress of Wisconsin, LLC (which was a franchisee of ours), and the assets and operations of two mattress-related retail stores in the Houston market ("Mattress Expo"). These acquisitions will allow us to further increase our penetration levels in markets in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas as well as enter a new market in Nebraska.

        We believe we have a compelling opportunity to further penetrate the fragmented specialty retail mattress industry through opportunistic, strategic acquisitions and continue profitable growth into the future.

Business Segments

        For financial information about our reportable segments, see Note 1 to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our Industry

Overall Market

        We operate in the U.S. mattress retail market, in which net sales amounted to $13.6 billion in calendar year 2012, the most recent year for which industry retail sales data has been published. The market is highly fragmented, with no single retailer holding more than a 9% market share and the top ten participants accounting for less than 35% of the total market. According to Furniture Today, in

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2012, mattress specialty retailers had a market share of approximately 46%, which represented the largest share of the market, having more than doubled their share over the past 15 years.

        According to the information released in December 2013 by Furniture Today, the industry is expected to grow wholesale dollar sales by 3.5% in 2014. We believe that several trends support the positive outlook for long-term growth of the U.S. mattress retail market:

    First, with increased advertising that focuses on the benefits of a better night's sleep, consumers have shown an increasing willingness to spend more money on mattresses and related products that are of a higher quality and provide extra comfort. The average price for a mattress at wholesale has increased from $100 in 1993 to $278 in 2012, representing an average annual growth rate of 5.1%. This increasing price point trend is primarily the result of: (1) an industry shift towards specialty mattresses, such as foam and air mattresses, which were sold at wholesale for an average of $559 per mattress in 2012 compared to $224 for a traditional innerspring mattress and (2) consumers desiring more expensive innerspring mattresses that have enhanced technology and comfort features.

    Second, there have been recent technological improvements made to mattresses that are leading people to replace their old mattresses. We believe Mattress Firm is at the forefront of these technological changes, as demonstrated by the variety of specialty mattresses we offer. Specialty product sales comprised 45.3%, 50.1% and 44.4% of our net sales for fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, respectively.

    Third, as "baby boomers" (which refers in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to people born between 1946 to 1964) age and begin to spend the income that they have saved during their time in the workforce, it is our belief that they will spend a disproportionate amount compared to the overall population on products that improve their comfort—for example, higher-end luxury mattresses and related products.

Distribution Channels

        Wholesale.    The U.S. wholesale mattress industry, which includes mattresses and their supporting box springs (also referred to as foundations), and as tracked by ISPA, was comprised of a $6.8 billion market in 2012. The U.S. wholesale mattress segment (which excludes foundations) accounted for $5.5 billion of the total and has grown at an average annual rate of 6.4% since 1993. The mattress segment has historically experienced stable growth, as 2008-2009 was the only period in over 30 years during which the segment experienced a multi-year decline in mattress sales. We believe that the industry has the potential to return to its pre-2008 levels, and that we are poised to take advantage of that future growth.

        Retail.    The U.S. retail mattress market is made up primarily of mattress specialty retailers, furniture retailers and department stores. Retailers compete based on product selection, customer experience, service, price, store location and brand recognition.

    Mattress Specialty Retailers focus primarily on mattresses and related products and accessories and typically have a broader product selection and quicker availability as compared to other mattress retail channels. Consumers have shown a preference to purchase their mattresses in this channel due to the broad merchandise assortment and higher quality service they receive. As a result, this channel has gained considerable market share relative to traditional furniture stores and department stores, having experienced a market share increase from 19% in 1993 to 46% in 2012 (the most recent year for which retail distribution channel data has been published).

    Traditional Furniture Stores typically dedicate a majority of their retail floor space to home furnishings other than mattresses. While this channel comprised the majority of the U.S.

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      mattress retail industry prior to 1993, it has lost significant market share since that time, decreasing from 56% in 1993 to 35% in 2012.

    Department Stores include many of the larger national chains selling a variety of products from clothing to home furnishings. Like traditional furniture stores, department stores have lost market share in the mattress category, decreasing from 11% in 1993 to 5% in 2012.

    Other distributors of mattress products generally include big box retailers, warehouse clubs, catalogs, telemarketing, direct marketing, the internet, discount department stores, furniture rental stores and factory direct operators. While the constituents within this category have shifted somewhat since 1993, their aggregate market share has remained steady at approximately 14% in both 1993 and 2012.

Brand Overview

        There are nearly 500 manufacturers in the bedding industry, with the three largest manufacturers, Serta, Tempur Sealy and Simmons, representing approximately 68% of the dollar value of the mattress market in 2012 (during which time Tempur-Pedic and Sealy were separate companies) while the 15 largest manufacturers accounted for approximately 88% during the same period. In March 2013, Sealy merged with a subsidiary of Tempur-Pedic and, while continuing to operate as independent companies, Serta and Simmons currently share a controlling stockholder. The effect of these business combinations and further consolidation among manufacturers remains to be seen, but could have an effect on product offerings and pricing. In general, the bedding industry has faced little competition from imported products as a result of the short lead times required by mattress retailers, high shipping costs and relatively low direct labor expenses in mattress manufacturing. Manufacturers sell traditional innerspring products and specialty products across a wide range of styles, sizes, price points and technologies.

Merchandising

        We believe our destination store retail concept provides our customers with a distinctive shopping experience, by offering an extensive assortment of mattresses and bedding-related products, featuring the best known national brands, a strong value proposition and superior service in a conveniently located, comfortable store environment.

Products

        We carry over 75 different models and styles of conventional and specialty mattresses across a wide range of price points. We focus on the best-known national brands but also offer our customers our Hampton & Rhodes® private label mattresses. Because of our strong relationships with our key suppliers, we are able to offer our customers many exclusive products that are available only to us, which adds to our competitive differentiation. Periodically, we also carry limited quantities of special/opportunistic buys and our Mattress Firm SuperCenter® stores carry additional special buys as well as clearance and marked-down merchandise. All of the mattresses we purchase are assembled in the United States, and certain bedding-related furniture products are sourced from Asia.

        Conventional Mattresses.    Conventional mattresses, such as those manufactured by Tempur Sealy (including Sealy Posturepedic and Stearns & Foster) and Simmons (including Simmons Beautyrest), utilize steel-coil innersprings to provide comfort and support. These conventional mattresses represented approximately 68% of bedding industry sales in the United States in 2012 and approximately 47% of our total net sales in fiscal 2013. In addition to these national brands, we also offer our Hampton & Rhodes® private label mattresses to provide our customers a greater choice of value among conventional mattresses.

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        Specialty Mattresses.    Specialty mattresses, such as the Tempur-Pedic® brand manufactured by Tempur Sealy, utilize materials other than steel-coil innersprings to provide comfort and support. These specialty mattresses represented approximately 32% of bedding sales in the United States in 2012 and approximately 44% of our total net sales in fiscal 2013. Our assortment of specialty mattresses that utilize viscoelastic foam, also referred to as memory foam, which feature a high-density, temperature sensitive foam core that alleviates pressure points, and tossing and turning by contouring to one's body. Tempur-Pedic introduced viscoelastic beds in the United States in 1992 and we believe Tempur Sealy remains the leader in the U.S. market for viscoelastic foam mattresses. We carry a wide range of specialty Tempur-Pedic® mattresses for which we are the largest retailer in the United States, viscoelastic foam products infused with a gel material manufactured by Serta and marketed under the name iComfort®, and similar products manufactured by Tempur Sealy and marketed under the name Optimum™.

        Furniture and Accessories.    In our stores and online we carry an assortment of furniture and accessories, including bed frames, mattress pads and pillows. Furniture and accessories represented approximately 7% of our total net sales in fiscal 2013.

Pricing Strategy

        Our strong price and value proposition is a critical element of our merchandise strategy. We strive to provide customers the best possible value in our markets, supported by event driven print, radio and television advertising and promotions, and offer our customers a low price guarantee whereby we will beat our competitor's advertised price on a comparable or identical sleep set by 10% and refund the customer the difference within a specified time after purchase. In addition, we supplement our regular merchandise line-up with special buys and clearance products at our Mattress Firm SuperCenter® stores to reinforce our value proposition and strong price image by offering a wide range of price points from promotional products (such as a $49 twin-size mattress) to luxury products (such as a $9,299 king-size set). As we continue to grow our national presence, we believe this provides us with a stronger position to negotiate more favorable terms with our vendors, creating incremental value for both our customers and our shareholders.

Customer Service

        We enhance our customers' shopping experience with a superior level of service. Our sales associates are well-trained in our products and unique comfort testing process, and are empowered to satisfy our customers' comfort, value and service requirements consistent with established company guidelines. Their goal is to simplify the buying process and narrow customer choices to the one that meets the customer's comfort and price needs. They are also trained to explain our comfort satisfaction and price guarantees as well as our third party deferred financing programs and product warranties. We clearly price all of our merchandise and provide our customers with a clear and concise process to select products and pricing.

        After-sale service represents an important part of our overall customer service offering. We believe our Mattress Firm Red Carpet Delivery Service®, under which we generally provide same day delivery service within a three-hour delivery window, is distinctive in the industry. We also provide our customers with comfort satisfaction and price guarantees, in addition to manufacturers' warranties for product defects.

Store Design and Layout

        We primarily utilize two store formats: (i) our traditional store format which averages approximately 4,300 square feet and (ii) our larger Mattress Firm SuperCenter® store format which averages approximately 6,700 square feet. As of January 28, 2014, we had 983 stores in our traditional

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store format and 242 stores in our Mattress Firm SuperCenter® store format. Our traditional stores are bright and open and have a warm, contemporary feel. We use wood, ceramic tile and carpet flooring and natural wood fixtures and shutters to create a comfortable, home-like look and feel. Traditional stores feature a Value Zone display area that efficiently conveys a broad assortment of value priced/promotional conventional bedding. In total, we offer over 75 different models and styles of conventional and specialty mattresses across a wide range of price points in our traditional stores conveying category dominance to our customers.

        Our Mattress Firm SuperCenter® stores incorporate all of the design elements of our traditional stores and also have a specially merchandised warehouse rack area to display our clearance, overstock and returned products. The warehouse rack merchandise display and signage reinforce our value proposition to our customers.

        To enhance the customer in-store experience, our stores are designed to be comfortable and easy-to-shop with our unique Comfort By Color® shopping program. With Comfort By Color®, customers have the opportunity to determine the physical comfort that is best suited for them by comparing the feel of samples for all four different surface comfort options (Firm, Plush, Pillow-top and Specialty) in our Comfort Comparison Center. Each comfort style is assigned a particular color in our stores (Yellow, Orange, Red or Blue/Green), as denoted through bright and colorful pillows and foot protectors on all mattresses. Once customers have "found their comfort," they simply "follow their color," and focus the balance of their selection time on mattresses that fall into one of the particular color-coded comfort options. Comfort By Color® simplifies shopping for customers and makes it easier to train new associates on the store layout.

        Our interior and exterior signage is an important element of our store design and selling strategy. We utilize bright banners, highly prominent signage and lifestyle photographs to highlight the important features of each of our products as well as promotional pricing information. We display light boxes, neon signs, and professionally designed promotional posters in our windows to convey our national brand focus and value proposition. Through signage and other promotional materials, we can emphasize our strong relationship with the key mattress manufacturers with whom we do business.

Marketing and Advertising

        The primary objective of our marketing program is to drive traffic into Mattress Firm stores, with our brand promise of Save Money. Sleep Happy®. With what we believe to be an effective model for achieving strong market penetration, we are able to leverage our advertising spend on a cost effective basis to build our market leadership position and brand awareness.

        Message.    Our marketing campaign has a three-prong approach to inform and educate customers as to why they should buy, why they should choose Mattress Firm and why they should "buy now". Replace Every 8® is a proprietary campaign message to capture consumer interest and educate them on the recommended mattress replacement frequency for optimal health and comfort. Sleep Happy™ is Mattress Firm's unique selling proposition to ensure customers are happy with their price, comfort and service. Promotional events to motivate customers to "buy now" include long term financing, All the best brands...All the best prices!® and Side by side before you decide™. These elements combined with our memorable spokespeople and proprietary song offer compelling reasons for consumers to buy from Mattress Firm.

        Traditional Media.    Our media strategy focuses on building awareness with our target customer to drive market share. Approximately sixty percent of our media mix is broadcast, designed to build greater recognition of the Mattress Firm brand, and emphasize what we believe to be our key competitive strengths. Print media accounts for approximately 25% of our media mix which helps fuel traffic both in our retail stores and online. We monitor traffic patterns and sales hourly and can impact media changes through our comprehensive model by market to maximize our return on advertising investment.

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        Alternative Media.    Our online search engine marketing and alternative media presence has increased each year based on trends and productivity and now accounts for approximately 15% of our total media mix. Additionally, we utilize our social media and public relations strategy to build awareness and engage in interactions with consumers as a relevant source of information in our industry. We follow online conversations daily and develop engaging content to distribute via our Facebook, Twitter, Blog or YouTube sites. Digital media helps educate our consumers on the importance of a new mattress and builds our connection with their awareness. In addition, to expose Mattress Firm to additional potential consumers across existing markets and drive qualified, invested traffic, we have partnered with other companies to leverage business-to-business channels.

        Analysis.    To ensure focused marketing, we have implemented a targeted market-level media and message program. To maximize the efficiencies and effectiveness of these efforts, we use ShopperTrak, a nationally recognized company that monitors store traffic patterns and sales, which we consider key performance indicators. As of January 28, 2014, we utilized ShopperTrak in approximately 59% of our company-operated stores. We believe that this is a critical component to understanding our advertising program, spotting trends, supporting market-level tests and increasing local market share.

Purchasing and Distribution

        Our merchandising team is responsible for all product selection, supplier negotiations, procurement, initial pricing determinations, product marketing plans and promotions, and coordination with local store and distribution center managers to implement our merchandise programs. Our merchandising team also regularly communicates with our field management and franchisees to monitor shifts in consumer preferences and market trends.

        We operate 55 distribution centers, supporting all of our company-operated stores. In substantially all of our markets, a single distribution center serves all of the stores in that market. Our four primary suppliers deliver mattresses to most of our distribution centers within 48 hours of order, up to five days per week. We replenish our distribution centers based on the rate of sales, promotions and predetermined stocking levels. Our merchandise is received, inspected and processed at our distribution centers and then delivered to our customers' homes or, to a lesser extent, to our stores. The majority of our sales result in the delivery of product from our distribution centers to our customers' homes. In all but six of our markets, we contract for the delivery of merchandise to our customers.

Supply Agreements

        Effective January 1, 2014, we entered into a new master retailer agreement with each of Serta and Simmons. The master retailer agreements provide general terms governing our relationship with each vendor. The master retailer agreements will terminate on December 31, 2017, unless terminated earlier by either party in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Each master retailer agreement provides for the establishment of annual merchandising programs that will provide for co-operative advertising funds, volume-based incentives and other terms mutually agreed upon by the parties in respect of the applicable year.

        We are party to a 2009 product supply agreement with Sealy for the purchase of mattress and foundation products under the Sealy and Sealy Posturepedic brand names. The agreement, as amended, will terminate upon the later of December 2015 or the time when the specified purchase target is met. The agreement sets forth (i) various annual and quarterly volume-based rebates, (ii) advertising rebates and subsidies, (iii) discounts on the purchase of floor samples, (iv) new store opening funds and support and (v) various pricing, return and payment terms.

        We are party to a 2012 retailer agreement with Tempur-Pedic, which sets forth the general terms of purchase transactions we may enter into with Tempur-Pedic relating to, among other things, (i) indemnification, (ii) representation of Tempur-Pedic products in our stores and (iii) product warranties. The agreement may be supplemented from time to time by the terms of any Business Development Program offered by Tempur-Pedic in which we participate.

Retail Store Operations

        The principal objective of our store operations program is to provide our guests with what we believe is a superior level of customer service by staffing our stores with knowledgeable and enthusiastic sales associates, and proficiently training those associates to satisfy customers' needs while achieving store performance objectives.

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        Field Management Organization and Store Staffing.    Our store operations are centralized, with corporate-level guidelines providing for chain-wide consistency, while still allowing store level flexibility to meet our customers' value and service requirements. As of January 28, 2014, we employed 299 area managers, 29 market managers, 103 district managers and 17 territory sales directors, who, in conjunction with our corporate recruiting and training department, are responsible for the hiring and training of store associates, assistant managers and store managers. Our training and communications programs are designed to ensure chain-wide consistency of merchandise presentation, communicate corporate information to stores and monitor sales and profit performance. In addition, our district and area managers are primarily responsible for developing store managers, assistant managers and sales associates for succession and career development opportunities.

        Each store is staffed with one store manager and the appropriate number of associates, depending on the sales volume of the store. Store managers are responsible for maintaining visual merchandise presentations, ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of the store and achieving store performance targets.

        Recruiting and Training.    We attempt to recruit sales associates and store managers who are (i) highly motivated, (ii) goal oriented and (iii) opportunistic of the career development opportunities we offer. Our recruitment portfolio includes an employee referral program, campus recruitment at select colleges and universities, and targeted recruiting in local markets for candidates who have relevant retail or consumer product experience. All of our sales associates attend our extensive internal training program, participate in product training sessions provided by vendors, and enroll in our online corporate university for extended learning and development opportunities. This unique training program emphasizes product knowledge, selling skills, and store operations fundamentals. Our sales associates are trained to explain our comfort satisfaction and price guarantees as well as our third-party financing programs and product warranties. They are also empowered to satisfy our customers' comfort, value and service requirements consistent with established company guidelines. Our corporate and field training function is responsible for (i) developing and providing new-hire training, (ii) advanced training and in-store new product training, and (iii) coordinating the implementation of our store assessment program, which measures the effectiveness and consistency of our selling process, in-store promotions, cleanliness and overall customer experience. The store assessment program also serves as an additional educational tool for our sales associates.

        We have internally developed a proprietary, best-practice video network for all sales associates called Project 180. Project 180 complements our training efforts by allowing associates to view and contribute to "how-to" videos posted by peer associates offering practical tips and best-practice considerations for particular product-related or general selling concepts. With an active library of approximately 500 videos, this informal social learning tool has quickly become a high-impact staple in our training portfolio.

        Compensation.    We believe that our store associate compensation structure encourages competition and creates an incentive to sell. The compensation structure for our store associates is commission-based. In addition to a base draw against commissions, our sales associates can earn incentive bonuses based on store performance. All of our field management (regional managers, district managers and distribution center managers) earn a base salary and are eligible for incentive bonuses based on certain individual performance criteria.

Franchise Operations

        As of January 28, 2014, our 12 franchisees operated 136 stores in 25 markets. In fiscal 2013, we received $5.6 million in franchise fees and royalty income from our franchisees. We grant franchises by territory, and have granted more than one franchise territory to some of our franchisees. We believe we

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are diligent in our selection of our franchisees, putting them through multiple vetting processes to ensure they are capable of operating the business at a high level.

        Our franchise agreements typically give franchisees the exclusive right to operate Mattress Firm stores in a specified territory and generally contain a 20 or 30 year term, and generally include a renewal option for the franchisee ranging from a five to 10 year period, subject to certain conditions. The franchisees are required to pay an initial fee each time they open a store. In addition, the franchisees also pay us royalties based on gross sales. The agreements require franchisees to operate their businesses in accordance with our standard operating procedures, including specifications for the appearance, floor plans, signage, fixtures, displays, staffing and operations of stores. The agreements generally require franchisees to provide us with quarterly profit and loss statements, so that we can monitor their ongoing performance and proactively identify any trouble areas. We generally have the right to inspect and audit their books and records at any time during business hours. During the term of the franchise agreement and subject to certain geographic limitations, for three years after termination of the franchise agreement, franchisees may not operate, directly or indirectly, any other business selling bedding products or furniture. In exchange, we provide franchisees with our standard operations manual, sales training, print advertising materials, and assistance in selecting store sites. We also have a right of first refusal on the sale of each franchise and/or its equipment and inventory and, in certain instances, options to purchase the franchisee's business at a predetermined time and purchase price.

Retail Stores and Markets

Site Selection

        Our site selection strategy is to select or develop premium locations, which maximize our sales per store. We select geographic markets and store sites on the basis of (i) demographics, (ii) quality of neighboring tenants, (iii) store visibility and signage opportunities, (iv) accessibility and (v) lease economics. Key demographics include population density, household income and growth rates. We also utilize relative market share analyses to determine the likelihood of becoming the market leader in each market we serve within a certain period of time.

        Our internal real estate group identifies opportunities for new and relocated stores with the involvement of our senior executives. We also contract with third party real estate brokers in each of our markets to identify sites and negotiate lease details. We prefer to develop freestanding units located in high traffic power centers with major retailers, such as Target, or other specialty and home furnishings retailers, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Costco, Dick's Sporting Goods, The Home Depot and Whole Foods. If a free-standing unit or site is unavailable, we prefer to locate our in-line stores on the end of the shopping center for greater visibility.

Hours

        Our stores are open 362 days a year, seven days a week, generally from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Seasonality

        Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuation, with the highest sales activity normally occurring during the second and third quarters of our fiscal year primarily due to a concentration of summer season holidays, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. While we expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future, we also expect that the timing of new store openings and the acquisitions we have made or may make and the timing of those acquisitions may have some effect on the impact of these seasonal fluctuations.

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Information Systems

        We have been using the General Electric Retail Systems ("GERS") since May 2004. This system provides sales tracking, inventory management, financial reporting and warehouse management capabilities. Due to current and planned store growth, the version of GERS that we currently utilize is approaching its maximum capacity. We are in the process of implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail ("Microsoft AX") as a replacement to GERS. We believe Microsoft AX will provide the similar core functionality of GERS with the added ability to support our growth strategy. We have completed the implementation of the Microsoft AX point-of-sale and supply chain functionality in 35 markets and will continue to implement the system to our remaining 33 markets throughout fiscal 2014.

        We use components of the Microsoft Business Intelligence suite for data warehousing. This provides access to information from various data sources across the organization through interactive, content-driven dashboards and scorecards that combine data from multiple systems into a single browser-based experience. We also have the capability to produce sales, financial and analytical reports.

        We have an e-commerce platform which makes up less than 2% of our net sales for the 2013 fiscal year. This platform allows our customers to shop on the internet, purchase products and schedule in-home delivery nationwide. Our websites also utilize social media to build a community of customers and interactive chat to improve the customer's internet experience.

        Our stores, distribution centers and corporate office are all connected by a secure Virtual Private Network, or "VPN," which enables us to take advantage of the cost efficiencies of the internet without compromising data security. The infrastructure that facilitates our VPN is housed in both secure off-site and on-site locations. We leverage our VPN to route our sales transactions, customer third party financing and funding through this communications network.

Employees

        As of January 28, 2014, we had approximately 3,861 employees, substantially all of whom were employed by us on a full-time basis. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have not experienced any work stoppages, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good.

        We were recognized on a national level as the 7th top workplace in Workplace Dynamics' "Top 150—National Top Workplaces 2013" list.

Government Regulation

        We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with the laws to which we are subject. In particular, our business subjects us to regulation in the following areas:

        Regulations relating to consumer protection and the bedding industry.    Our operations are subject to federal, state and local consumer protection regulations and other regulations relating specifically to the bedding industry. These regulations vary among the states where we operate, but generally impose requirements as to (i) the proper labeling of bedding merchandise, (ii) restrictions regarding the identification of merchandise as "new" or otherwise, (iii) controls as to hygiene and other aspects of product handling, and (iv) marketing language and promotions used in connection with the offer and sale of products and, in all cases, penalties for violations. We also are subject to a standard established by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which sets mandatory national fire performance criteria for all mattresses sold in the United States on or after July 1, 2007.

        Franchise laws and regulations.    We are also subject to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations and various state laws regulating the offer and sale of franchises. The FTC and various state laws require us to furnish to prospective franchisees a franchise disclosure document containing

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prescribed information. Unless an exemption applies, certain states require registration of a franchise offering circular or a filing with state authorities. Substantive state laws that regulate the franchisor-franchisee relationship presently exist in a substantial number of states, and bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress from time to time which provide for federal regulation of the franchisor-franchisee relationship in certain respects. The state laws often limit, among other things, the duration and scope of non-competition provisions and the ability of a franchisor to terminate or refuse to renew a franchise. The failure to comply with these laws and regulations in any jurisdiction or to obtain required government approvals could result in a ban or temporary suspension on future franchise sales, fines, other penalties, or require us to make offers of rescission or restitution, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Available Information

        The Company maintains an internet website at http://www.mattressfirm.com where our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statement and other documents and all amendments to those reports and documents are available without charge, as soon as reasonably practicable following the time they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. References to the Company's website address do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the website, and the information contained on the website is not part of this document.

        The public may read and copy any materials that the Company files with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Also, the SEC maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including the Company, that file electronically with the SEC. The public can obtain any documents that the Company files with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Item 1A.    Risk Factors

        Our financial performance is subject to various risks and uncertainties. The risks described below are those which we believe are the material risks we face. Any of the risk factors described below could significantly and adversely affect our business, prospects, sales, gross profit, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.


Risks Related to Our Business

Our business is dependent on general economic conditions in our markets.

        Our sales depend, in part, on discretionary spending by our customers. Pressure on discretionary income brought on by economic downturns and slow recoveries, including housing market declines, rising energy prices, fiscal uncertainty and weak labor markets, may cause consumers to reduce the amount they spend on discretionary items. If recovery from any economic downturn is slow or prolonged, our growth, prospects, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted. General economic conditions and discretionary spending are beyond our control and are affected by, among other things:

    consumer confidence in the economy;

    unemployment trends;

    consumer debt levels;

    consumer credit availability;

    the housing market;

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    gasoline and fuel prices;

    interest rates and inflation;

    price deflation, which may result from the introduction of low-cost imports;

    slower rates of growth in real disposable personal income;

    natural disasters;

    national security concerns;

    tax rates and tax policy; and

    other matters that influence consumer confidence and spending.

        Increasing volatility in financial markets may cause some of the above factors to change with an even greater degree of frequency and magnitude.

Our ability to grow and remain profitable may be limited by direct or indirect competition in the retail bedding industry, which is highly competitive.

        The retail bedding industry in the United States is highly competitive. Participants in the bedding industry compete primarily based on store location, service, price, product selection, brand name recognition and advertising. There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to compete favorably with our competitors in these areas. Our store competitors include regional and local specialty retailers of bedding (such as Sleepy's and Sleep Train), national and regional chains of retail furniture stores carrying bedding (such as Ashley Furniture, Haverty's and Rooms-To-Go), department store chains with bedding departments (such as Macy's, Sears and JC Penney), big box retailers (such as Wal-mart), warehouse clubs (such as Costco) and factory direct stores (such as Original Mattress). Additionally, retail furniture stores may open retail locations specifically targeted for specialty bedding as a way to directly compete with us and other specialty retailers. In the past, we have faced periods of heightened competition that materially affected our results of operations. Certain of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than us. Accordingly, we may face periods of intense competition in the future that could have a material adverse effect on our planned growth and future results of operations. In addition, the barriers to entry into the retail bedding industry are relatively low. New or existing bedding retailers could enter our markets and increase the competition we face. In addition, manufacturers and vendors of mattresses and related products, including those whose products we currently sell, have entered the U.S. mattress retail market and now directly compete with us. Competition in existing and new markets may also prevent or delay our ability to gain relative market share. Any of the developments described above could have a material adverse effect on our planned growth and future results of operations.

If we fail to successfully manage the challenges our planned growth poses or encounter unexpected difficulties during our expansion, our net sales and profitability could be materially adversely affected.

        One of our central long term objectives is to increase sales and profitability through market share leadership. Our ability to achieve market share leadership, however, is contingent upon our ability to (i) open stores in favorable locations, (ii) advertise our stores in an effective and cost-efficient manner and (iii) achieve operating results in new stores at the same level as our similarly situated current stores. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to open stores in new markets as required to achieve market leadership in such markets, identify and obtain favorable store sites, arrange favorable leases for stores or obtain governmental and other third-party consents, permits and licenses needed to open or operate stores in a timely manner, train and hire a sufficient number of qualified managers for new stores, attract a strong customer base and create brand familiarity in new markets, or successfully compete with established mattress stores in the new markets we enter. Moreover, if we are

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unable to open an adequate number of stores in a market, or if store-level profitability is lower than expectations, we may be unable to achieve the market presence necessary to justify the considerable expense of radio or television advertising and could be forced to rely upon less effective advertising mediums. Failure to open stores in favorable locations or to advertise in an effective and cost-efficient manner could place us at a competitive disadvantage as compared to retailers who were more adept than us at managing these challenges, which, in turn, could negatively affect our overall operating results.

Our comparable-store sales and results of operations fluctuate due to a variety of economic, operating, industry and environmental factors and may not be fair indicators of our performance.

        Our comparable-store sales and operating results have experienced fluctuations, which can be expected to continue. Numerous factors affect our comparable-store sales results, including among others, the timing of new and relocated store openings, the relative proportion of new and relocated stores to mature stores, cannibalization resulting from the opening of new stores in existing markets, the acquisition and rebranding of competitors' stores in existing Mattress Firm markets (including the timing of such acquisitions), changes in advertising and other operating costs, the timing and level of markdowns, changes in our product mix, weather conditions, retail trends, the retail sales environment, economic conditions, inflation, the impact of competition and our ability to execute our business strategy efficiently. As a result, comparable-store sales and operating results may fluctuate, and may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly. Therefore, we believe period-to-period comparisons of our results may not be a fair indicator of, and should not be relied upon as a measure of, our operating performance.

We intend to aggressively open additional stores in our existing markets, which may diminish sales in our existing stores in those markets and strain our ability to find qualified personnel or divert resources from our existing stores, negatively affecting our overall operating results.

        Pursuant to our expansion strategy, we intend to aggressively open additional stores in our existing markets, whether through organic growth or acquisitions, including relocations of existing stores. Because our stores typically draw customers from their local areas, additional stores may draw customers away from nearby existing stores and may cause our comparable-store sales performance and customer counts at those existing stores to decline, which may adversely affect our overall operating results. In addition, our ability to open additional stores or convert and maintain acquired stores will be dependent on our ability to promote and/or recruit enough qualified field managers, store managers, assistant store managers and sales associates. The time and effort required to train and supervise a large number of new managers and associates and integrate them into our culture may divert resources from our existing stores. If we are unable to profitably open additional stores or convert and maintain acquired stores in existing markets and limit the adverse impact of those new or acquired stores on existing stores, it may reduce our comparable-store sales and overall operating results during the implementation of our expansion strategy.

Our expansion strategy will be dependent upon, and limited by, the availability of adequate capital.

        Our expansion strategy will require additional capital for, among other purposes, opening new stores and entering into new markets. Such capital expenditures will include (i) researching real estate and consumer markets, (ii) lease, inventory, property and equipment costs, (iii) integration of new stores and markets into company-wide systems and programs and (iv) other costs associated with new stores and market entry expenses and growth. If cash generated internally is insufficient to fund capital requirements, or if funds are not available under our existing credit facility, we will require additional debt or equity financing. Adequate financing may not be available or, if available, may only be available on unfavorable terms. In addition, our debt agreements provide a limit on the amount of capital

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expenditures we may make annually. If we fail to obtain sufficient additional capital in the future or we are unable to make capital expenditures under our debt agreements, we could be forced to curtail our expansion strategies by reducing or delaying capital expenditures relating to new stores and new market entry. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to fund our current plans for the opening of new stores or entry into new markets. Additionally, we expect to use cash generated internally to fund the purchase price of acquisitions that align with our expansion strategy. As a result, the available cash resources will be limited for other capital expenditures such as inventory, property and equipment costs. You may disagree with the purchase price we agree to pay or the use of cash for acquisitions. If we fail to obtain sufficient capital to offset the use of cash for acquisitions, or if we are unable to realize a value from an acquisition sufficient to justify the purchase price we paid, other capital expenditures could be delayed and our overall operating results could be adversely affected.

We may from time to time acquire complementary businesses, including operations of our franchisees, which will subject us to a number of risks.

        Any acquisitions we may undertake involve a number of risks, including:

    failure of the acquired businesses to achieve the results we expect;

    potential comparable-store sales declines as a result of sales culture integration challenges and conversion of acquired stores to the Mattress Firm brand;

    diversion of capital and management attention from operational matters;

    our inability to retain key personnel of the acquired businesses;

    risks associated with unanticipated events or liabilities;

    the potential disruption and strain on our existing business and resources that could result from our planned growth and continuing integration of our acquisitions; and

    customer dissatisfaction or performance problems at the acquired businesses.

        For example, during fiscal 2013, we acquired 39 stores formerly operated by our Wisconsin franchisee, two Mattress Expo stores, all of the equity interests of NE Mattress People, LLC, which operated five stores under the brand Mattress People, and the operations of Olejo, Inc., an online retailer primarily focused on mattresses and bedding-related products. If we are unable to fully integrate or successfully manage these acquired businesses or any other business that we acquire, we may not realize anticipated cost savings, improved efficiencies or revenue growth, which may result in reduced profitability or operating losses. In addition, we may face competition for acquisition candidates, which may limit the number of acquisition opportunities and may lead to higher acquisition prices. Moreover, acquisitions of businesses may require the issuance of additional equity financing, which would result in the dilution of our existing shareholder base. The realization of all or any of the risks described above could materially and adversely affect our reputation and our results of operations.

A deterioration in our relationships with, or a deterioration of the brand images of, our primary suppliers could adversely affect our brand and customer satisfaction and result in reduced sales and operating results.

        We currently rely on Tempur Sealy, Simmons and Serta as our primary suppliers of branded mattresses. Purchases of products from these three manufacturers accounted for 76% of our mattress product costs for fiscal 2013. Because of the large volume of our business with these manufacturers and our use of their branding in our marketing initiatives, our success depends on the continued popularity and reputation of these manufacturers. Additionally, our continued focus on increasing market share may result in a reduction of retailers who hold stronger relationships with certain of these vendors than us, which could affect our relationship with these vendors. Any (i) deterioration of their brand image, (ii) reduction in vendor incentives, (iii) adverse change in our relationship with any of them, (iv) an

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adverse change in their financial condition, production efficiency, product development or marketing capabilities or (v) deterioration in our relationship could adversely affect our own brand and the level of our customers' satisfaction, among other things, which could result in reduced sales and operating results.

        We use Corsicana and Sherwood Bedding as the primary suppliers of our private label mattresses, which accounted for 13% and 1%, respectively, of our mattress product costs for fiscal 2013. If our relationships with Tempur Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Sherwood Bedding or Corsicana are terminated or otherwise impaired, or if any of them materially increase their prices, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We depend on a limited number of primary suppliers, and any failure by any of them to supply us with products may impair our inventory and adversely affect our ability to meet customer demands, which could result in a decrease in net sales.

        Through our operating subsidiaries, we maintain supply agreements with two subsidiaries of Tempur Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Sherwood Bedding and Corsicana, among others. Our current suppliers may not continue to sell products to us on acceptable terms or at all, and we may not be able to establish relationships with new suppliers to ensure delivery of products in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us. We may not be able to acquire desired merchandise in sufficient quantities on terms acceptable to us in the future. We are also dependent on suppliers for assuring the quality of merchandise supplied to us. Our inability to acquire suitable merchandise in the future or the loss of one or more of our suppliers and our failure to replace them may harm our relationship with our customers and our ability to attract new customers, resulting in a decrease in net sales.

Certain of our suppliers have recently undergone business combinations, which may reduce product offerings and increase pressures on pricing.

        We rely on a limited number of primary suppliers. The consolidation of two or more of these suppliers may reduce the number of products offered as the combined entity re-evaluates redundant product lines. Additionally, business combinations may increase the prices that we pay for the products in order to offset costs or otherwise take advantage of the suppliers' more significant position in the industry. We may not be able to pass any price increases on to our customers or indentify and obtain additional products to supplement our product offerings, which may have an adverse affect on our results of operation.

If customers are unable to obtain third-party financing at acceptable rates, sales of our products could be materially adversely affected.

        We offer financing to consumers through third party consumer finance companies. In fiscal 2013, approximately 38% of our sales were financed through third party consumer finance companies, and we plan to continue to offer such financing services. Our business is affected by the availability and terms of financing to customers. During much of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 and continuing into fiscal 2009, we experienced significantly lower credit approval rates for our customers. Sales results were negatively affected as a result. Another reduction of credit availability to our customers could have a material impact on our results of operations.

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We may not be able to successfully anticipate consumer trends and our failure to do so may lead to loss of consumer acceptance of the products we sell, resulting in reduced net sales.

        Our success depends on our ability to anticipate and respond to changing trends and consumer demands in a timely manner. If we fail to identify and respond to emerging trends, consumer acceptance of the merchandise we sell and our image with current or potential customers may be harmed, which could reduce our net sales. For example, we have responded to the trend in favor of specialty bedding products and sleep systems, such as viscoelastic foam mattresses, by entering into new arrangements with suppliers and reallocating store display space without certainty of success or that existing relationships with conventional mattress suppliers will not be jeopardized. Additionally, if we misjudge market trends, we may significantly overstock unpopular products and be forced to take significant inventory markdowns, which would have a negative impact on our gross profit and cash flow. Conversely, shortages of models that prove popular could also reduce our net sales.

We depend on a few key employees, and if we lose the services of certain of our principal executive officers, we may not be able to run our business effectively.

        Our future success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain key executive, merchandising, marketing and sales personnel. Our executive officers include Steve Stagner, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve Fendrich, our Chief Strategy Officer, Jim Black, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Ken Murphy, our Chief Operating Officer. We have an employment agreement with each of Messrs. Stagner, Fendrich and Black. If any of these executive officers cease to be employed by us, we would have to hire additional qualified personnel. Our ability to successfully hire other experienced and qualified executive officers cannot be assured and may be difficult because we face competition for these professionals from our competitors, our suppliers and other companies operating in our industry. As a result, the loss or unavailability of any of our executive officers could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our substantial debt could adversely affect us, make us more vulnerable to adverse economic or industry conditions and prevent us from fulfilling our debt obligations or from funding our expansion strategy.

        We have a substantial amount of debt outstanding. As of January 28, 2014, we had $221.2 million of total indebtedness, consisting primarily of $219.1 million outstanding under the credit agreement with UBS Securities LLC and certain of its affiliates and other lenders entered into by Mattress Holding Corp., an indirect subsidiary of ours, as amended on November 5, 2012 and as further amended on February 27, 2014 (the "2012 Senior Credit Facility"). Our substantial indebtedness could have serious consequences, such as:

    limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, expansion strategy or other purposes;

    placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors with less debt;

    increasing our vulnerability to, and reducing our flexibility in planning for, adverse changes in economic, industry and competitive conditions; and

    increasing our vulnerability to increases in interest rates because borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility are subject to variable interest rates.

        The potential consequences of our substantial indebtedness make us more vulnerable to defaults and place us at a competitive disadvantage. A substantial or extended increase in interest rates could significantly affect our cash available to make scheduled payments on the 2012 Senior Credit Facility or to fund our expansion strategy.

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We may be unable to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and other liquidity requirements and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy such requirements, which may not be successful.

        We will be required to repay borrowings under our 2012 Senior Credit Facility on January 18, 2016. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

        The 2012 Senior Credit Facility contains negative covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:

    incur indebtedness;

    create liens;

    engage in mergers or consolidations;

    sell assets (including pursuant to sale and leaseback transactions);

    pay dividends and distributions or repurchase our capital stock;

    make investments, acquisitions, loans or advances;

    make capital expenditures;

    repay, prepay or redeem certain indebtedness;

    engage in certain transactions with affiliates;

    enter into agreements limiting subsidiary distributions;

    enter into agreements limiting the ability to create liens;

    amend material agreements governing certain indebtedness; and

    change our lines of business.

        A breach of any of these covenants could result in an event of default under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under such facility to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit, or seek amendments to our debt agreements that would provide for terms more favorable to such lenders and that we may have to accept under the circumstances. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility. If the lenders under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient assets to repay the 2012 Senior Credit Facility.

If we fail to hire, train and retain qualified managers, sales associates and other employees our superior customer service could be compromised and we could lose sales to our competitors.

        A key element of our competitive strategy is to provide product expertise to our customers through our extensively trained, commissioned sales associates. If we are unable to attract and retain

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qualified personnel and managers as needed in the future, including qualified sales personnel, our level of customer service may decline, which may decrease our net sales and profitability.

Our future growth and profitability will be dependent in part on the effectiveness and efficiency of our advertising expenditures.

        Our advertising expenditures, which are the largest component of our sales and marketing expenses, are expected to continue to increase for the foreseeable future. A significant portion of our advertising expenditures are made in the higher cost radio and television formats. We cannot assure you that our planned increases in advertising expenditures or the advertising message that we select will result in increased customer traffic, sales, levels of brand name awareness or market share or that we will be able to manage such advertising expenditures on a cost-effective basis. Should we fail to realize the anticipated benefits of our advertising program, or should we fail to effectively manage advertising costs, this could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and profitability.

Our operating results are seasonal and subject to adverse weather and other circumstances, the occurrence of which during periods of expected higher sales may result in disproportionately reduced sales for the entire year.

        We historically have experienced and expect to continue to experience seasonality in our net sales and net income. We generally have experienced more sales and a greater portion of income during the second and third quarters of our fiscal year due to a concentration of holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day occurring in the summer and a higher number of home sales occurring in autumn. Over the past five fiscal years, (i) the second fiscal quarter generated 25.6% of our net sales, (ii) the third fiscal quarter generated 26.8% of our net sales and (iii) the other fiscal quarters generated 47.7% of our net sales. We expect this seasonality to continue for the foreseeable future. Any decrease in our second or third quarter sales, whether because of adverse economic conditions, a slowdown in home sales, adverse weather conditions, timing of holidays or acquisitions within our quarters or other unfavorable circumstances or prolonged atypical adverse weather conditions in our primary markets during any quarter, could have a disproportionately adverse effect on net sales and operating results for the entire fiscal year.

If we are unable to renew or replace our current store leases or if we are unable to enter into leases for additional stores on favorable terms, or if one or more of our current leases are terminated prior to expiration of their stated term and we cannot find suitable alternate locations, our growth and profitability could be negatively impacted.

        We currently lease all but one of our store locations. Many of our current leases provide for our unilateral option to renew for several additional rental periods at specific rental rates. Our ability to re-negotiate favorable terms on an expiring lease or to negotiate favorable terms for a suitable alternate location, and our ability to negotiate favorable lease terms for additional store locations could depend on conditions in the real estate market, competition for desirable properties, our relationships with current and prospective landlords or on other factors that are not within our control. Any or all of these factors and conditions could negatively impact our growth and profitability.

Because our stores are generally concentrated in the Gulf Coast and Southeast regions of the United States, we are subject to regional risks.

        We have a high concentration of stores in the Gulf Coast and Southeast regions. We therefore have exposure to these local economies as well as weather conditions and natural disasters occurring in these regions, including hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. If these markets individually or collectively suffer an economic downturn or other significant adverse event, there could be an adverse impact on our comparable-store sales, net sales and profitability and our ability to implement

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our planned expansion program. Any natural disaster or other serious disruption in these markets due to fire, tornado, hurricane or any other calamity could damage inventory and could result in decreased sales.

Our results may be adversely affected by fluctuations in raw material and energy costs.

        Our results may be affected by the prices of the components and raw materials used in the manufacture of the mattress products and accessories we sell. These prices may fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including: oil prices and other energy related costs, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, currency exchange rates and government regulation. These fluctuations may result in an increase in our transportation costs for distribution, utility costs for our retail stores and overall costs to purchase products from our vendors.

        We may not be able to adjust the prices of our products, especially in the short-term, to recover these cost increases in raw materials and energy. A continual rise in raw material and energy costs could adversely affect consumer spending and demand for our products and increase our operating costs, both of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to government regulation and audits from various taxing authorities, which could impose substantial costs on our operations or reduce our operational flexibility.

        Our products and our marketing and advertising programs are and will continue to be subject to regulation in the U.S. by various federal, state and local regulatory authorities, including the FTC. Compliance with these regulations may have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, our operations are subject to federal, state and local consumer protection regulations and other laws relating specifically to the bedding industry. For example, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has adopted rules relating to fire retardancy standards for the mattress and pillow industry. State and local bedding industry regulations vary among the states in which we operate but generally impose requirements as to the proper labeling of bedding merchandise, restrictions regarding the identification of merchandise as "new" or otherwise, controls as to hygiene and other aspects of product handling, sales and resales and penalties for violations. We and/or our suppliers may be required to incur significant expense to the extent that these regulations change and require new and different compliance measures. For example, new legislation aimed at improving the fire retardancy of mattresses or regulating the handling of mattresses in connection with preventing or controlling the spread of bed bugs could be passed, which could result in product recalls or in a significant increase in the cost of operating our business. In addition, failure to comply with these various regulations may result in penalties, the inability to conduct business as previously conducted or at all, and/or adverse publicity, among other things.

        We are also subject to FTC and state laws regarding the offering of franchises and their operations and management. State franchise laws may delay or prevent us from terminating a franchise or withholding consent to renew or transfer a franchise. We may, therefore, be required to retain an underperforming franchise and may be unable to replace the franchise, which could have an adverse effect on franchise revenues. Although we believe that we are in compliance with these bedding industry and franchise regulations, we may be required in the future to incur expense and/or modify our operations in order to ensure such compliance.

        We are also subject to audits from various taxing authorities. Changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of our operations.

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We are subject to varying, inconsistent laws and regulations of state and local jurisdictions, which could result in penalties and other costs if we are unable to establish and maintain compliance efficiently.

        As we expand our operations into new markets, we will be subject to tax and employee-related laws and regulations imposed by multiple state and local jurisdictions. Often these laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction and may not conform to our existing tax, payroll and other practices. We will be required to spend time and resources to identify any such laws and regulations, and establishing compliance may distract management or make our other processes and practices less efficient. If we are unable to efficiently identify, monitor and comply with these varying laws and regulations, penalties, fines and other costs may be imposed on the Company and our relationship with certain of our employees could be threatened, each of which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our success is highly dependent on our ability to provide timely delivery to our customers, and any disruption in our delivery capabilities or our related planning and control processes may adversely affect our operating results.

        An important part of our success is due to our ability to deliver mattresses and bedding-related products quickly to our customers. This in turn is due to our successful planning and distribution infrastructure, including merchandise ordering, transportation and receipt processing, the ability of our suppliers to meet our distribution requirements and the ability of our contractors to meet our delivery requirements. Our ability to maintain this success depends on the continued identification and implementation of improvements to our planning processes, distribution infrastructure and supply chain. We also need to ensure that our distribution infrastructure and supply chain keep pace with our anticipated growth and increased number of stores. The cost of these enhanced processes could be significant and any failure to maintain, grow or improve them could adversely affect our operating results. Our business could also be adversely affected if there are delays in product shipments to us due to freight difficulties, difficulties of our suppliers or contractors involving strikes or other difficulties at their principal transport providers or otherwise.

Our ability to control labor costs is limited, which may negatively affect our business.

        Our ability to control labor costs is subject to numerous external factors, including (i) prevailing wage rates and overtime pay regulations, (ii) the impact of legislation or regulations governing healthcare benefits, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (iii) labor relations, such as the Employee Free Choice Act, and (iv) health and other insurance costs. If our labor and/or benefit costs increase, we may not be able to hire or maintain qualified personnel to the extent necessary to execute our competitive strategy, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

There can be no assurance that our warranty claims and comfort exchange return rates will remain within acceptable levels.

        Under the terms of our supply agreements with some of our major suppliers of conventional mattress products, we are currently compensated to assume the risk for returns resulting from product defects. We also provide our customers with a 100-day comfort satisfaction guarantee whereby, within 100 days from the date of original purchase, if the customer is not satisfied with the new mattress, we will exchange it for a mattress of equal or similar quality with no exchange fee, subject to standard transportation charges. Additionally, we provide our customers with a low price guarantee whereby if a customer finds the same or comparable sleep set advertised for less than our displayed or advertised price within 100 days of purchase, we will beat our competitor's advertised price on such comparable sleep set by 10% and refund the customer the difference. While we establish reserves at the time of sale for these exposures, there can be no assurance that our reserves adequately reflect this exposure and no assurance that warranty claims and comfort exchange return rates will remain within acceptable

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levels. An increase in warranty claims and comfort exchange return rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we determine that our goodwill or other acquired intangible assets are impaired, we may have to write off all or a portion of the impaired assets.

        As of January 28, 2014, we had goodwill and intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, of $366.6 million and $84.4 million, respectively. In fiscal 2008, as a result of the global economic crisis, we incurred goodwill and intangible asset impairments of $105.0 million, and we may incur goodwill and intangible asset impairments in the future. We recognized a $0.5 million impairment of goodwill related to two markets in fiscal 2010. Additionally in fiscal 2012 we incurred a $2.1 million intangible trade name impairment related to the Mattress Discounters trade name in relation to our decision to re-brand the majority of the stores in the Virginia Beach market to Mattress Firm in fiscal 2013. Management is required to exercise significant judgment in identifying and assessing whether impairment indicators exist, or if events or changes in circumstances have occurred, including market conditions, operating results, competition and general economic conditions. Current accounting guidance requires that we test our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if warranted by the circumstances. Any changes in key assumptions about the business units and their prospects or changes in market conditions or other external factors could result in an impairment charge, and such a charge could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, as we test goodwill impairment at the reporting unit level, which is at a regional level, we may be required to incur goodwill impairment charges based on adverse changes affecting a particular region, regardless of our overall performance. Such impairment charges may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Historically, we have experienced losses on store closings and impairment of store assets. There can be no guarantee that we will not experience similar or greater losses of this kind in the future due to (i) general economic conditions, (ii) competitive or operating factors, or (iii) other reasons, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

        We experienced losses on store closings and impairment of store assets of $0.8 million, $1.1 million and $1.5 million in fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, respectively. These amounts include a non-cash impairment charge for long-lived assets to reduce the carrying value to estimated fair value based on our periodic assessment of whether projected future cash flows of individual stores are sufficient to recover the carrying value of the related assets. This non-cash impairment charge for long-lived assets consists primarily of store leasehold costs and related equipment and was $0.1 million, $0.2 million and $0.5 million during fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, respectively. If we are forced to close stores in the future due to general economic conditions, competitive or operating factors or other reasons, the related losses may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in our expansion strategy and are required to close a large number of stores, the risk of incurring losses on store closings may increase.

We are a holding company with no business operations of our own and depend on cash flow from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

        We are a holding company with no business operations of our own or material assets other than the stock of our subsidiaries. Accordingly, all of our operations are conducted by our subsidiaries. As a holding company, we require dividends and other payments from our subsidiaries to meet cash requirements. The terms of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility restrict our subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring cash or other assets to us. We currently have no obligations that require cash funding from our subsidiaries. If there is an insolvency, liquidation or other reorganization of any of our subsidiaries, our stockholders likely will have no right to proceed against the assets of

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those subsidiaries. Creditors of those subsidiaries will be entitled to payment in full from the sale or other disposal of the assets of those subsidiaries before we, as an equity holder, would be entitled to receive any distribution from that sale or disposal. If our subsidiaries are unable to pay us dividends or make other payments to us when needed, we will be unable to pay dividends or satisfy our obligations.

Product safety issues, including product recalls, could harm our reputation, divert resources, reduce sales and increase costs.

        The products we sell in our stores are subject to regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and similar state and international regulatory authorities. Such products could be subject to recalls and other actions by these authorities. Product safety concerns may require us to voluntarily remove selected products from our stores. Such recalls and voluntary removal of products can result in, among other things, lost sales, diverted resources, potential harm to our reputation and increased customer service costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our business exposes us to personal injury and product liability claims, which could result in adverse publicity and harm to our brands and our results of operations.

        We are from time to time subject to claims due to the alleged injury of an individual in our stores or on our property. In addition, we may be subject to product liability claims for the products that we sell. Subject to certain exceptions, our purchase orders generally require the manufacturer to indemnify us against any product liability claims; however, if the manufacturer does not have insurance or becomes insolvent, there is a risk we would not be indemnified. Any personal injury or product liability claim made against us, whether or not it has merit, could be time consuming and costly to defend, resulting in adverse publicity, or damage to our reputation, and have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, any negative publicity involving our vendors, employees and other parties who are not within our control could negatively impact us.

Our business operations could be disrupted if our information technology systems fail to perform adequately or we are unable to protect the integrity and security of our customers' information.

        We depend largely upon our information technology systems in the conduct of all aspects of our operations. If our information technology systems fail to perform as anticipated, we could experience difficulties in virtually any area of our operations, including but not limited to replenishing inventories or in delivering our products to store locations in response to consumer demands. In addition, we are in the process of replacing our enterprise resource planning ("ERP") system and commenced pilot market implementation of the point-of-sale and supply chain functionality in August 2012. As the new system is implemented, we may experience difficulties in transitioning from the old system, including loss of data and decreases in productivity as our personnel become familiar with the new system. Additionally, until all of our markets are operating on the new system, we will be required to operate and support the old system and the new system concurrently, which may increase costs and otherwise adversely affect our ability to operate our business. As of January 28, 2014, only 51% of our markets were operating on the new ERP system. If we experience difficulties in implementing new or upgraded information systems or experience significant system failures, or if we are unable to successfully modify our information systems to respond to changes in our business needs, our ability to run our business could be adversely affected. It is also possible that our competitors could develop better e-commerce platforms than ours, which could negatively impact our internet sales. Any of these or other systems-related problems could, in turn, adversely affect our sales and profitability.

        In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store certain personal information from individuals, such as our customers and suppliers, and we process customer payment card and check information, including via our internet platform. Computer hackers may attempt to penetrate our computer system and, if successful, misappropriate personal information, payment card

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or check information or confidential Company business information. In addition, a Company employee, contractor or other third party with whom we do business may attempt to circumvent our security measures in order to obtain such information and may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach involving such information. Any failure to maintain the security of our customers' confidential information, or data belonging to us or our suppliers, could put us at a competitive disadvantage, result in deterioration in our customers' confidence in us, subject us to potential litigation and liability, and subject us to fines and penalties, resulting in a possible material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial performance.

We may be responsible for theft and other liabilities at leased properties that we have vacated prior to the expiration of the lease term.

        From time to time, we may vacate a leased facility prior to the expiration of the lease term. Unless otherwise agreed by the landlord, we will continue to be responsible as the tenant under any such lease, which may include liability for any theft or other damage to the leased property. Our current insurance policy does not cover our liability for theft or certain other damages at vacated properties, and we have not identified additional insurance policies at commercially reasonable rates that would cover this exposure.


Risks Related to Our Franchises

A portion of our income is generated from our franchisees and our income could decrease if our franchisees do not conduct their operations profitably.

        As of January 28, 2014, approximately 10% of our stores were operated by franchisees. During fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013 we derived $4.7 million, $5.4 million and $5.6 million, respectively, from franchise fees and royalties. Franchisees are independent contractors and are not our employees. We provide training and support to franchisees, but the quality of franchised store operations may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control, including (i) the closing of franchised stores, (ii) the failure of franchisees to comply with our standard operating procedures, (iii) failure to honor our national advertising campaign offers, (iv) effectively run their operations, (v) the failure of franchisees to hire and adequately train qualified managers and other personnel, or (vi) the failure of franchisees to appropriately manage our brand could adversely affect our image and reputation, and the image and reputation of other franchisees, and could reduce the amount of our revenues and our franchise revenues, which could result in lower franchise fees and royalties to us. Additionally, from time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings instituted by third parties relating to actions or inactions of our franchisees, which divert resources away from other operations and may result in adverse publicity. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, litigation with franchisees that may arise from time to time could be costly and the outcome thereof would be difficult to predict.

We may be unable to audit or otherwise independently monitor the results of our franchisees, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

        Franchisees pay us franchise fees and royalties as a percentage of their gross sales. Although the agreements with our franchisees give us the right to audit their books and records, we may not be able to audit or otherwise readily and independently monitor franchisee performance on a regular basis or at all. As a result, we may experience delays or failures in discovering and/or recouping underpayments. In addition, to the extent that we rely on the integrity of the financial and other information from our franchisees, we may experience difficulties with respect to internal control, measurement and reporting of our franchise fee and royalty receipts and receivables.

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The existence of franchisees in some of our markets may restrict our ability to grow in those markets through acquisitions or organically.

        We enter into franchise agreements with our franchisees which, among other things, limit our ability to compete with the franchisees in the markets in which they operate. If we determine at some point in the future that we would like to grow in those markets through acquisitions or organically, our ability to do so may be substantially restricted under the franchise agreements.

Item 1B.    Unresolved Staff Comments

        None.

Item 2.    Properties

        Our corporate headquarters are located in Houston, Texas and adjoins one of our Mattress Firm SuperCenter® stores. We lease all but one of our company-operated stores, which are located in 33 states, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Initial lease terms are generally for five to ten years, and most leases contain multiple five-year renewal options and rent escalation provisions. We have historically been able to renew or extend leases for our company-operated stores. Our franchisees also lease their own space.

        We also lease all of the distribution centers that serve our company-operated stores, generally subject to five year leases, most of which contain renewal options ranging from one to five years. As we expand our operations, we may need to find additional distribution center locations or replace existing distribution centers with larger locations to accommodate the increased level of operations. Additionally, from time to time, we may assume lease obligations for distribution centers in connection with our acquisitions, including in markets where we already operate a distribution center. In such an event, we expect to operate many of those acquired distribution centers for a limited time until our distribution operations can be consolidated. We believe that we would not have any difficulty replacing these facilities if we were required to do so. Our largest distribution centers are located in Texas, Florida and Georgia.

Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

        From time to time, we may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of our operations in the normal course of business. We believe that we are not a party to any legal proceedings which, if determined adversely to us, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 4.    Mine Safety Disclosures

        Not applicable.

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Part II

Item 5.    Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information About Our Common Stock

        Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "MFRM." The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market:

Fiscal Quarter
  High   Low  

2012

             

First quarter (from February 1, 2012 through May 1, 2012)

  $ 48.18   $ 30.30  

Second quarter (from May 2, 2012 through July 31, 2012)

  $ 41.54   $ 22.82  

Third quarter (from August 1, 2012 through October 30, 2012)

  $ 33.80   $ 26.42  

Fourth quarter (from October 31, 2012 through January 29, 2013)

  $ 33.04   $ 22.62  

2013

   
 
   
 
 

First quarter (from January 30, 2013 through April 30, 2013)

  $ 38.85   $ 26.15  

Second quarter (from May 1, 2013 through July 30, 2013)

  $ 46.85   $ 35.13  

Third quarter (from July 31, 2013 through October 29, 2013)

  $ 43.01   $ 30.85  

Fourth quarter (from October 30, 2013 through January 28, 2014)

  $ 46.14   $ 29.29  

Stockholders

        On March 21, 2014, the closing price reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market of our common stock was $48.17 per share. As of March 21, 2014, we had approximately 36 holders of record of our common stock. This does not include persons whose stock is in nominee or "street name" accounts through brokers.

Dividends

        No dividends were declared or paid in fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 or fiscal 2013. We anticipate that we will retain future earnings, if any, to finance the continued development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Additionally, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends is limited by the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, including restrictions under the terms of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility and other agreements governing our indebtedness outstanding from time to time. Any future determination with respect to the payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent upon, among other things, our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, the terms of our then existing indebtedness, general economic conditions and other factors considered relevant by our board of directors.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

        We did not repurchase any of our equity securities nor engage in unregistered sales of our equity securities during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

        The following table sets forth information as of January 28, 2014 regarding the Company's equity compensation plans. The only plan pursuant to which the Company may grant equity-based awards is

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the Mattress Firm Holding Corp. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "Omnibus Plan"), which was approved by the board of directors and the Company's shareholders on November 3, 2011.

Plan Category
  Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Number of securities
remaining available
for future issuance
under equity
compensation plans
 

Equity compensation plans approved by holders

    1,539,530   $ 23.32     2,427,502  

Equity compensation plans not approved by holders

             
               

Total

    1,539,530   $ 23.32     2,427,502  
               
               

Performance Graph

        The graph set forth below compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock between November 18, 2011 (our first trading day on the NASDAQ Global Select Market) and January 28, 2014 to (i) the cumulative total return of companies listed on the NASDAQ Composite and (ii) the cumulative total return of a peer group selected by the Company. This graph assumes an initial investment of $100 on November 18, 2011, in our common stock, the market index and the peer group and assumes the reinvestment of dividends, if any. The graph also assumes that the price of our common stock on November 18, 2011 was equal to the closing price of $22.00. The historical information set forth below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

GRAPHIC


*
Peer Group Companies
Select Comfort Corporation
Tempur Sealy International, Inc.(1)
Bed, Bath & Beyond, Inc.
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.
Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.
PetSmart, Inc.
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc.
Vitamin Shoppe, Inc.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.


(1)
Formerly Tempur-Pedic International, Inc. and Sealy Corporation prior to the acquisition of Sealy Corporation by Tempur-Pedic International, Inc.

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Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

        The following table sets forth a summary of our selected consolidated financial data. We derived the selected balance sheet data as of January 29, 2013 and January 28, 2014, and the statement of operations data and per share data for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2012, January 29, 2013 and January 28, 2014, from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The selected balance sheet data as of February 2, 2010, February 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012, and the statement of operations data and per share data for the fiscal years ended February 2, 2010 and February 1, 2011, have been derived from our consolidated financial statements for such years, which are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        Our fiscal year consists of 52 or 53 weeks, ending on the Tuesday nearest to January 31. Each fiscal year is described by the period of the year that comprises the majority of the fiscal year period. For example, the fiscal year ended January 28, 2014 is described as "fiscal 2013." All fiscal years presented consist of 52 weeks of operations.

        The selected consolidated financial data set forth below is not necessarily indicative of results of future operations and should be read in conjunction with the discussion under "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and other financial information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 
  Fiscal Year  
 
  2009   2010   2011   2012   2013  
 
  (dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data and store units)
 

Statement of Operations:

                               

Net sales

  $ 432,250   $ 494,115   $ 703,910   $ 1,007,337   $ 1,216,812  

Cost of sales

    280,506     313,962     428,018     614,572     751,487  
                       

Gross profit from retail operations

    151,744     180,153     275,892     392,765     465,325  

Franchise fees and royalty income

    2,100     3,195     4,697     5,396     5,617  
                       

    153,844     183,348     280,589     398,161     470,942  
                       

Sales and marketing expenses

    95,305     113,963     167,605     245,555     289,533  

General and administrative expenses

    32,336     34,111     51,684     73,640     82,964  

Goodwill impairment charge

        536              

Intangible asset impairment charge

                2,100      

Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets(1)

    5,179     2,486     759     1,050     1,499  
                       

Total operating expenses

    132,820     151,096     220,048     322,345     373,996  
                       

Income from operations

    21,024     32,252     60,541     75,816     96,946  
                       

Interest expense, net(2)

    27,114     31,057     29,301     9,247     10,864  

Loss (gain) from debt extinguishment(3)

    (2,822 )       5,704          
                       

    24,292     31,057     35,005     9,247     10,864  
                       

Income (loss) before income taxes

    (3,268 )   1,195     25,536     66,569     86,082  

Income tax expense (benefit)

    1,405     846     (8,815 )   26,698     33,158  
                       

Net income (loss)

  $ (4,673 ) $ 349   $ 34,351   $ 39,871   $ 52,924  
                       
                       

Per Share Data:

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Basic net income (loss) per common share(4)

  $ (0.21 ) $ 0.02   $ 1.40   $ 1.18   $ 1.56  

Diluted net income (loss) per common share(4)

  $ (0.21 ) $ 0.02   $ 1.40   $ 1.18   $ 1.55  

Adjusted diluted net income (loss) per common share(5)

  $ (0.21 ) $ 0.02   $ 0.94   $ 1.49   $ 1.66  

Basic weighted average shares outstanding(4)

    22,399,952     22,399,952     24,586,274     33,770,779     33,870,461  

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding(4)

    22,399,952     22,399,952     24,586,274     33,853,276     34,131,456  

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  Fiscal Year  
 
  2009   2010   2011   2012   2013  
 
  (dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data and store units)
 

Other Financial Data:

                               

EBITDA(6)

  $ 41,275   $ 49,027   $ 74,005   $ 100,829   $ 128,933  

Adjusted EBITDA(7)

  $ 46,323   $ 57,095   $ 87,487   $ 120,968   $ 139,979  

Adjusted EBITDA, percentage of net sales(7)

    10.7 %   11.6 %   12.4 %   12.0 %   11.5 %

Income from operations, percentage of net sales

    4.9 %   6.5 %   8.6 %   7.5 %   8.0 %

Adjusted income (loss) from operations(5)

  $ 21,024   $ 32,252   $ 61,185   $ 92,147   $ 103,074  

Adjusted income (loss) from operations, percentage of net sales(5)

    4.9 %   6.5 %   8.7 %   9.1 %   8.5 %

Capital expenditures

  $ 10,863   $ 27,330   $ 34,356   $ 68,604   $ 55,546  

Depreciation and amortization

  $ 16,286   $ 15,448   $ 17,450   $ 23,507   $ 29,498  

Operational Data:

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Comparable-stores sales growth (decline)(8)

    (4.3 )%   6.3 %   20.5 %   6.1 %   1.3 %

Stores open at period-end

    487     592     729     1,057     1,225  

Average net sales per store unit(9)

  $ 926   $ 962   $ 1,107   $ 1,136   $ 1,061  

Balance Sheet Data:

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Working capital

  $ (8,459 ) $ (7,696 ) $ 49,258   $ (21,095 ) $ 18,735  

Total assets

  $ 465,252   $ 513,633   $ 613,481   $ 724,679   $ 784,631  

Total debt

  $ 369,323   $ 398,703   $ 228,354   $ 252,999   $ 221,208  

Stockholders' (deficit) equity

  $ (15,516 ) $ (15,682 ) $ 224,259   $ 267,496   $ 328,492  

(1)
Includes a non-cash impairment charge for long-lived assets, consisting primarily of store leasehold costs and related equipment, to reduce the carrying value to estimated fair value, based on our periodic assessment of whether projected future cash flows of individual stores are sufficient to recover the carrying value of the related assets, in the amounts of $2.3 million, $1.7 million, $0.1 million, $0.2 million and $0.5 million during fiscal 2009, fiscal 2010, fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, respectively.

(2)
Interest expense includes interest that was accrued and paid in kind by adding the interest to the outstanding balance of debt related to our 2009 Loan Facility (defined below), Convertible Notes (defined below) and PIK Notes (defined below) in the amounts of $17.7 million, $23.2 million and $20.6 million during fiscal 2009, fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011, respectively.

(3)
During fiscal 2009, a gain from debt extinguishment was recognized in connection with the amendment of the 2009 Loan Facility. The extinguishment resulted in a $5.8 million downward adjustment of the loan carrying value to its fair value, which was partially offset by the write-off of $3.0 million of unamortized deferred loan fees. During fiscal 2011, a loss from debt extinguishment in the total amount of $5.7 million was recognized, consisting of $1.9 million in connection with the $40.2 million prepayment of the 2009 Loan Facility in July 2011, and $3.8 million in connection with (i) the repayment in full of the 2009 Loan Facility, (ii) the repayment of a portion of the outstanding balance of PIK Notes and the conversion of the remaining outstanding balance of PIK Notes not repaid into shares of our common stock and (iii) the conversion of the outstanding balance of Convertible Notes into shares of our common stock in connection with the initial public offering in November 2011.

(4)
Gives effect to a 227,058-for-one stock split effected on November 3, 2011 resulting in 22,399,952 shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial public offering in November 2011, and the issuance of (i) 6,388,888 shares of the Company's common stock as part of the initial public offering, (ii) 2,205,953 additional shares upon the conversion of the Convertible Notes in connection with the initial public offering and (iii) 2,774,035 additional shares upon the conversion of the PIK Notes in connection with the initial public offering, in each case at a price or conversion rate equal to the initial public offering price of $19.00 per share.

(5)
Our "As Adjusted" data is considered a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure and is not in accordance with, or preferable to, "As Reported," or GAAP financial data. However, we are providing this information as we believe it facilitates year-over-year comparisons for investors and financial analysts. There were no differences between our As Reported and As Adjusted results for the 2009 fiscal year and 2010 fiscal year; therefore, a reconciliation is not presented for these years.

 
  Fifty-Two Weeks Ended  
 
  January 31, 2012  
 
  Income
From
Operations
  Income
Before
Income
Taxes
  Net
Income
  Diluted
Weighted
Shares
  Diluted
EPS*
 

As Reported

  $ 60,541   $ 25,536   $ 34,351     24,586,274   $ 1.40  

% of sales

    8.6 %   3.6 %   4.9 %            

IPO Pro Forma Adjustments(a)

                               

Diluted share count adjustment

                      9,182,554     (0.38 )

Management fees

    644     644     405           0.01  

Interest expense

        21,131     13,291           0.39  

Loss from debt extinguishment

        5,688     3,578           0.11  

Other Adjustments

                               

Release of valuation allowance on

                               

deferred tax assets(b)

            (20,050 )         (0.59 )
                       

Total adjustments

    644     27,463     (2,776 )   9,182,554     (0.46 )
                       

As Adjusted

  $ 61,185   $ 52,999   $ 31,575     33,768,828   $ 0.94  
                       
                       

% of sales

    8.7 %   7.5 %   4.5 %            

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  Fifty-Two Weeks Ended  
 
  January 29, 2013    
  January 28, 2014  
 
  Income
From
Operations
  Income
Before
Income
Taxes
  Net
Income
  Diluted
Weighted
Shares
  Diluted
EPS*
   
  Income
From
Operations
  Income
Before
Income
Taxes
  Net
Income
  Diluted
Weighted
Shares
  Diluted
EPS*
 

As Reported

  $ 75,816   $ 66,569   $ 39,871     33,853,276   $ 1.18       $ 96,946   $ 86,082   $ 52,924     34,131,456   $ 1.55  

% of sales

    7.5 %   6.6 %   4.0 %                   8.0 %   7.1 %   4.3 %            

Acquisition-related costs(c)

    11,980     11,980     7,616           0.23         1,736     1,736     1,065           0.03  

Secondary offering costs(d)

    1,915     1,915     1,403           0.04                            

ERP system implementation costs(e)

                              3,966     3,966     2,432           0.07  

Impairment charges(f)

    2,256     2,256     1,386           0.04         426     426     261           0.01  

Other expenses(g)

    180     180     111           0.00                            
                                               

Total adjustments

    16,331     16,331     10,516         0.31         6,128     6,128     3,758         0.11  
                                               

As Adjusted

  $ 92,147   $ 82,900   $ 50,387     33,853,276   $ 1.49       $ 103,074   $ 92,210   $ 56,682     34,131,456   $ 1.66  
                                               
                                               

% of sales

    9.1 %   8.2 %   5.0 %                   8.5 %   7.6 %   4.7 %            

*
Due to rounding to the nearest cent per diluted share, totals may not equal the sum of the line items in the tables above.

(a)
IPO Pro Forma Adjustments give effect to the initial public offering that was completed on November 23, 2011, as if the offering had occurred at the beginning of fiscal 2011 (February 2, 2011). These pro forma adjustments reflect the following assumptions: (i) the application of the net proceeds from the initial public offering to repay debt resulting in a decrease to interest expense and a loss from debt extinguishment, (ii) the conversion of a significant portion of convertible debt for which such conversion was elected into shares of our common stock, resulting in a decrease to interest expense, a loss from debt extinguishment, (iii) the reduction in management fee expense in connection with the termination of the management agreement between J.W. Childs Associates, L.P. and the Company that became effective with the completion of the initial public offering, and (iv) the effect on diluted EPS as if the common stock shares outstanding at the completion of the offering had been outstanding for the entire period presented.

(b)
The release of the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets reflects utilization of net operating loss carryforwards throughout fiscal 2011 and an expectation of increased future taxable income effective with the completion of our initial public offering and the resulting reduction of outstanding debt and the elimination of interest expense thereon, which provided sufficient evidence that it was more-likely-than-not that deferred tax assets would be realized in future periods and supported the release of the remaining valuation allowance in fiscal 2011.

(c)
Acquisition-related costs, which are included in the "As Reported" results of operations, consist of the acquisition-related costs as defined under U.S. GAAP, including advisory, legal, accounting, valuation, and other professional or consulting fees and, in addition, costs of integrating store and warehouse operations and corporate functions that are not expected to recur in future periods. On May 2, 2012, we acquired all of the equity interests of MGHC Holding Corporation ("Mattress Giant"), including 181 mattress specialty retail stores. On September 25, 2012, we acquired the assets and operations of Mattress XPress, Inc. and Mattress XPress of Georgia, Inc. (collectively, "Mattress X-Press"), including 34 mattress specialty retail stores. On December 11, 2012, we acquired the assets and operations of Factory Mattress & Water Bed Outlet of Charlotte, Inc. ("Mattress Source"), including 27 mattress specialty retail stores. On June 14, 2013, we acquired the assets and operations of Olejo, Inc., an online retailer primarily focused on mattresses and bedding-related products. On November 13, 2013, we acquired the equity interests of NE Mattress People, LLC ("Mattress People"), including five mattress specialty retail stores. On December 10, 2013, we acquired the assets and operations of Perfect Mattress of Wisconsin, LLC ("Perfect Mattress"), including 39 mattress specialty retail stores. On December 31, 2013, we acquired the assets and operations of two mattress specialty retail stores in Houston, Texas ("Mattress Expo"). Acquisition-related costs, consisting of direct transaction costs and integration costs are included in the results of operations as incurred. We incurred approximately $12.0 million and $1.7 million of acquisition-related costs during the fiscal years ended January 29, 2013 and January 28, 2014, respectively.

(d)
Reflects $1.9 million of costs borne by us in connection with a secondary offering of shares of common stock by certain of our selling shareholders which was completed in October 2012.

(e)
Reflects implementation costs included in the results of operations as incurred during fiscal 2013 of approximately $4.0 million, consisting primarily of training-related costs in connection with the roll-out of the Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail Enterprise Resource Planning system ("ERP system").

(f)
Reflects an intangible trade name impairment charge in the amount of $2.1 million related to the Mattress Discounters trade name recorded during fiscal 2012, and a $0.2 million and $0.4 million impairment of store assets recorded during fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, respectively.

(g)
Reflects $0.2 million in expensed legal fees relating to our November 2012 debt amendment and extension recorded during fiscal 2012.
(6)
EBITDA represents net income before income tax expense, interest income, interest expense, depreciation and amortization. We have presented EBITDA because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our performance and believe it is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. Management uses EBITDA as a measurement tool for evaluating our actual operating performance compared to budget and prior periods. Other companies in our industry may calculate EBITDA differently than we do. EBITDA is not a measure of performance under U.S. GAAP, and should not be considered as a substitute for net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements, for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

EBITDA does not reflect interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;

EBITDA does not reflect tax expense or the cash requirements necessary to pay for tax obligations; and

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    Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the asset being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements.

        We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using EBITDA only as a supplemental measure.

(7)
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA, without giving effect to non-cash goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, gains or losses on store closings and impairment of store assets, gains or losses related to the early extinguishment of debt, financial sponsor fees and expenses, non-cash charges related to stock-based awards and other items that are excluded by management in reviewing the results of operations. We have presented Adjusted EBITDA because we believe that the exclusion of these items is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about our ongoing operating performance excluding certain non-cash and other items and to provide additional information with respect to our ability to comply with various covenants in documents governing our indebtedness and as a means to evaluate our period-to-period results. In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed to imply that our future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. We have provided this information to analysts, investors and other third parties to enable them to perform more meaningful comparisons of past, present and future operating results and as a means to evaluate the results of our ongoing operations. The Compensation Committee uses Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure under our short-term incentive programs for our executive officers. In addition, our compliance with certain covenants under our 2012 Senior Credit Facility that are calculated based on similar measures, which differ from Adjusted EBITDA primarily by the inclusion of pro forma results for acquired businesses in those similar measures. Other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA has similar limitations as an analytical tool to those set forth in note (6) related to the use of EBITDA, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of the additional limitations to the use of Adjusted EBITDA are:

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the cash requirements of closing underperforming stores;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the cash requirements of completing the acquisition and integration of acquired stores;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect costs related to management services previously provided by JWC Mattress Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company managed by J.W. Childs Associates, Inc. ("J.W. Childs"); and

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect certain other costs that may recur in future periods.

We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only as a supplemental measure. The following table contains a reconciliation of our net income (loss) determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:

 
  Fiscal Year  
 
  2009   2010   2011   2012   2013  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Net income (loss)

  $ (4,673 ) $ 349   $ 34,351   $ 39,871   $ 52,924  

Income tax (benefit) expense

    1,405     846     (8,815 )   26,698     33,158  

Interest expense, net

    27,114     31,057     29,301     9,247     10,864  

Depreciation and amortization

    16,286     15,448     17,450     23,507     29,498  

Intangible assets and other amortization

    1,143     1,327     1,718     1,506     2,489  
                       

EBITDA

    41,275     49,027     74,005     100,829     128,933  
                       

Goodwill impairment charge

        536              

Intangible asset impairment charge

                2,100      

Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets

    5,179     2,486     759     1,050     1,499  

Loss (gain) from debt extinguishment

    (2,822 )       5,704          

Financial sponsor fees and expenses

    395     407     644     74     26  

Stock-based compensation

    84     (515 )   523     2,856     4,846  

Secondary offering costs

                1,915      

Vendor new store funds(a)

    (87 )   1,540     3,169     953     808  

Acquisition-related expenses(b)

    2     453     886     11,980     1,736  

Other(c)

    2,297     3,161     1,797     (789 )   2,131  
                       

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 46,323   $ 57,095   $ 87,487   $ 120,968   $ 139,979  
                       
                       

(a)
We receive cash payments from certain vendors for each new incremental store that we open ("new store funds"). New store funds are initially recorded in other noncurrent liabilities when received and are then amortized as a reduction of cost of sales over 36 months in our financial statements. Historically, we have considered new store funds as a component of Adjusted EBITDA when received since new store funds are included in cash provided from operations. The adjustment includes the amount of new store funds received during the period presented and eliminates the non-cash reduction in cost of sales included in our results of operations.

(b)
Reflects both non-cash effects included in net income related to acquisition accounting adjustments made to inventories and other acquisition related cash costs included in net income, such as direct acquisition costs and costs related to integration of acquired businesses.

(c)
Consists of various items that management excludes in reviewing the results of operations, including $1.6 million in fiscal 2010 for the estimated costs of a May 26, 2011 settlement of a lawsuit involving alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act brought in April 2010 by a former employee, a $0.5 million benefit in fiscal 2012 for a recovery from the claims-made reversionary fund established to administer the lawsuit settlement and $2.4 million of ERP system implementation costs incurred during fiscal 2013.
(8)
Comparable-store sales is a measure commonly used in the retail industry, which indicates store performance by measuring the growth in revenue for certain stores for a particular period over the corresponding period in the prior year. New stores are included in the comparable-store sales calculation beginning in the thirteenth full month of operation. Acquired stores are included in the comparable-store sales calculation beginning in the first month following the one-year anniversary date of the acquisition. The comparable-store sales calculation includes our e-commerce and multi-channel sales. New stores that are relocated within a two mile radius of a closed store are included in the comparable-store sales calculation beginning with the first full month of operations by measuring the growth in revenue against the prior year sales of the closed store. Stores that are closed, other than relocated stores, are removed from the comparable-store sales calculation in the month of closing. Comparable-store sales during fiscal years that are comprised of 53 weeks exclude sales for the fifty-third week of the year. The method of calculating comparable-store sales varies across the retail industry and our method may not be the same as other retailers' methods.

(9)
Calculated using net sales for stores open at both the beginning and the end of the period, excluding e-commerce and multi-channel sales.

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Item 7.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The discussion in this section contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein.

Executive Summary

        We operate in the U.S. mattress retail market, in which net sales amounted to $13.6 billion in calendar year 2012. The market is highly fragmented, with no single retailer holding more than an 9% market share and the top ten participants accounting for less than 35% of the total market. According to the most recent information published by Furniture Today, in 2012, mattress specialty retailers had a market share of approximately 46%, which represents the largest share of the market, having more than doubled their share over the past 15 years.

        On November 23, 2011, we completed the initial public offering of shares of our common stock pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-174830), which was declared effective on November 17, 2011. Under the registration statement, we registered the offering and sale of up to an aggregate of 6,388,888 shares of common stock (including shares issued pursuant to the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares) at a public offering price of $19.00 per share.

        On October 10, 2012, we completed the secondary offering of 5,435,684 shares of our common stock by certain of our selling shareholders. We did not sell any shares of common stock in the offering and did not receive any proceeds from the sale.

        The Company's operations consist primarily of the retail sale of mattresses and bedding-related products in various metropolitan areas in the United States through company-operated and franchisee-operated mattress specialty stores that operate primarily under the Mattress Firm name. The Company manages and evaluates its company-operated stores on a geographic basis. The Company also generates sales through its e-commerce website and special events business primarily to customers who reside in the metropolitan areas in which company-operated stores are located and utilizes its existing distribution centers to deliver products to these customers efficiently. The Company's operating segments consist of its (i) company-operated store operations, with each geographic region considered a separate operating segment, (ii) e-commerce website operations, (iii) multi-channel sales operations, consisting primarily of special events and (iv) franchise operations, which consists primarily of franchise fees and royalty income earned on the sales from franchisee-operated mattress specialty stores. A reportable segment is an operating segment or an aggregation of two or more operating segments that contain similar economic characteristics. The company-operated store regions, e-commerce website and multi-channel operating segments are aggregated into a single reportable segment ("retail segment") as a result of the similar nature of the products sold and other similar economic characteristics that are expected to continue into future periods. Franchise operations are a separate reportable segment, for which the results of operations, as viewed by management, are fully represented by the franchise fees and royalty income reported on the face of the statements of operations.

        Net sales in fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013 improved $209.8 million, $303.4 million and $209.5 million, respectively, from the comparable prior year levels as a result of comparable-store sales growth and the addition of new and acquired store units. We believe that our net sales growth is resulting in increased market share in most markets in which we operate. Net income and other profitability measures improved during fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, primarily as a result of our net sales growth. These improvements were partially offset by increases in spending in certain expense categories during the same periods primarily in support of increasing net sales, including

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general and administrative expenses, and temporary deleverage in store occupancy and other operating expenses related to acquisitions of stores with sales productivity levels that, while improving, remain below the levels of our existing store base. Key results for fiscal 2013 include:

    Net income increased $13.0 million to $52.9 million for fiscal 2013 compared to $39.9 million for fiscal 2012.

    Income from operations on an "As Reported" basis (in accordance with U.S. GAAP) increased $21.2 million to $96.9 million for fiscal 2013 as compared to $75.8 million for fiscal 2012. Income from operations on an "As Adjusted" basis, which excludes acquisition-related, secondary offering, ERP system implementation, impairment and other costs that are included in determining results of operations in accordance with U.S. GAAP, increased $10.9 million to $103.1 million for fiscal 2013 as compared to $90.1 million for fiscal 2012, and adjusted operating margin decreased 60 basis points to 8.5% for fiscal 2013 from 9.1% in fiscal 2012. This operating margin decline for fiscal 2013 on an adjusted basis was driven primarily by a 100 basis-point decline in gross margin, a 20 basis-point decrease from general and administrative expense deleverage, offset by an 60 basis-point improvement in sales and marketing expense leverage. See "Item 6. Selected Financial Data" for a definition of adjusted income from operations and a reconciliation of adjusted income from operations to income from operations.)

    Net sales increased $209.5 million, or 20.8%, to $1,216.8 million for fiscal 2013, compared to $1,007.3 million for fiscal 2012. Comparable-store sales increased 1.3% during fiscal 2013.

      The components of the net sales increase were as follows (in millions):

 
  Increase
(decrease)
in net sales
 
 
  Fiscal
2012
  Fiscal
2013
 

Comparable-store sales

  $ 41.9   $ 13.0  

New stores

    120.8     132.0  

Acquired stores

    148.8     78.4  

Closed stores

    (8.1 )   (13.9 )
           

  $ 303.4   $ 209.5  
           
           

      The components of net sales by major category of product and services were as follows (in millions):

 
  Fiscal
2011
  % of
Total
  Fiscal
2012
  % of
Total
  Fiscal
2013
  % of
Total
 

Conventional mattresses

  $ 323.4     45.9 % $ 418.0     41.5 % $ 569.0     46.8 %

Specialty mattresses

    318.9     45.3 %   504.9     50.1 %   540.2     44.4 %

Furniture and accessories

    46.4     6.6 %   65.7     6.5 %   85.2     7.0 %
                                 

Total product sales

    688.7     97.8 %   988.6     98.1 %   1,194.4     98.2 %

Delivery service revenues

    15.2     2.2 %   18.7     1.9 %   22.4     1.8 %
                                 

Total net sales

  $ 703.9     100.0 % $ 1,007.3     100.0 % $ 1,216.8     100.0 %
                                 
                                 
    Adjusted EBITDA increased $19.0 million to $140.0 million for fiscal 2013 compared with $121.0 million for fiscal 2012. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of sales decreased to 11.5% during fiscal 2013 compared with 12.0% for fiscal 2012 as a result of temporary deleverage in store occupancy and other primarily fixed expenses related to acquisitions of stores with sales productivity levels that, while improving, remain below the levels of our existing store base.

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      (Adjusted EBITDA is not a performance measure under U.S. GAAP. See "Item 6. Selected Financial Data" for a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income).

    The activity with respect to the number of company-operated store units was as follows:

 
  Fiscal
2011
  Fiscal
2012
  Fiscal
2013
 

Store units, beginning of period

    592     729     1,057  

New stores

    106     118     154  

Acquired stores

    55     242     46  

Closed stores

    (24 )   (32 )   (32 )
               

Store units, end of period

    729     1,057     1,225  
               
               
    Operating cash flows were $103.4 million during fiscal 2013, which was a funding source for acquisitions, capital expenditures and debt principal payments.

    There were $21.0 million outstanding in revolver borrowings and $1.9 million of outstanding standby letters of credit at January 28, 2014, resulting in $77.1 million of borrowing capacity under our $100 million revolving credit facility.

        In connection with our long-term growth plans, we are in the process of implementing an ERP system to replace our current systems. See "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Our business operations could be disrupted if our information technology systems fail to perform adequately or we are unable to protect the integrity and security of our customers' information" for additional information relating to some important risks relating to our information technology.

        We believe that the U.S. mattress retail market remains affected by the pent-up demand for mattresses and related products that has developed as consumers have delayed purchases of big-ticket home furnishings, including mattresses, in response to the slow recovery of the national economy, increased tax rates and overall fiscal uncertainty. We expect that this pent-up demand will result in sales growth for the Company as the national economy and consumer confidence continue to improve.

        We expect to continue the expansion of our company-operated store base through new store openings in existing markets to increase our market share and new store openings in new markets to provide a platform for future growth. We plan to open 145 to 165 new company-operated stores in fiscal 2014. In addition, we intend to evaluate strategically valuable acquisition opportunities in existing and new markets that may arise from time to time.

        We also strive to increase sales and profitability within our existing network of stores through a combination of (i) advertising and marketing initiatives that are aimed at increasing customer traffic, (ii) improved customer conversion through our merchandising approach that improves the customer's shopping experience and the efforts of our highly trained sales associates and (iii) increasing the average price of a transaction through effective sales techniques and the increasing demand for specialty mattresses.

        On June 14, 2013, we acquired substantially all of the assets and operations of Olejo, Inc., an online retailer primarily focused on mattresses and bedding-related products, for a total purchase price of approximately $3.2 million.

        On November 13, 2013, we acquired the equity interests of Mattress People relating to the operation of five mattress specialty stores located in Nebraska and Iowa for a total purchase price of approximately $2.0 million, including working capital adjustments. We intend to rebrand the acquired stores as Mattress Firm.

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        On December 10, 2013, we acquired the leasehold interests, store assets, distribution center assets and related inventories, and assumed certain liabilities of a franchisee, Perfect Mattress, relating to the operation of 39 mattress specialty stores located in Wisconsin and Illinois for a total purchase price of approximately $6.5 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Perfect Mattress provided unsecured financing to us in the amount of approximately $2.0 million in connection with the purchase, which is payable over a term of one year in quarterly installments, including interest at an annual rate of 7.75%.

        On December 31, 2013, we acquired the leasehold interests, store assets and related inventories of two Mattress Expo retail stores in the Houston market for a total purchase price of approximately $0.4 million.

        The aforementioned acquisitions, and subsequent rebranding of the acquired stores as Mattress Firm, is advancing our market-level profitability model that is centered on the benefits of increasing our level of store penetration in several of our major markets. We believe that the incremental sales and store-level contribution attributable to the acquired stores will support our ability to increase the advertising spend in each of the markets, which is expected to drive sales increases in both the acquired and existing stores. This strategy is expected to provide sales increases, greater leverage over market-level costs and improved market-level profitability.

        During fiscal 2013, in response to the growth in sales, store units and metropolitan areas in which the Company operates, the Company revised the geographic management structure of its company-operated stores to add hierarchical layers, which broadened management's control over the business and re-aligned the internal reporting structure to reflect the geographic territories used by management to review, evaluate and operate the expanded business efficiently. As a result, the determination of an operating segment, as it relates to company-owned stores, was revised from a "metropolitan market" to a "region", with each region defined as the aggregation of each geographic "territory" within the region, and each territory defined as the aggregation of the metropolitan markets within the territory. As now reflected by the geographic management structure, the Company's chief operating decision maker reviews the results of operations and makes decisions regarding the allocation of resources at the regional level.

Subsequent Events

        On February 27, 2014, we entered into an amendment of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility. The amendment, among other things, (a) extended the maturity date of the revolving loan by one year to January 2016, (b) increased the incremental term loan facility by $150 million to $200 million, (c) increased the maximum amount the borrower and its subsidiary guarantors may spend in respect of acquisitions, on a per acquisition basis, from $50 million to $75 million, and (d) increased the maximum amount the borrower and its subsidiary guarantors may spend in respect of acquisitions, on an aggregate basis, from $200 million to $350 million.

        On March 3, 2014 we completed the acquisition of the leasehold interests, store assets, distribution center assets and related inventories, and assumed certain liabilities of Yotes, Inc. ("Yotes"), a franchisee of the Company, relating to the operation of 34 mattress specialty retail stores located in Colorado and Kansas for a total purchase price of approximately $15.0 million, subject to customary adjustments.

        On March 3, 2014 we completed the acquisition of leasehold interests and store assets, and assumed certain liabilities, of Southern Max LLC ("Southern Max"), a franchisee of the Company, relating to the operations of three mattress specialty retail stores located in Virginia for a total purchase price of approximately $0.5 million, subject to customary adjustments.

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        On March 7, 2014, we entered into an agreement to purchase one hundred percent of the outstanding partnership interests in Sleep Experts Partners, L.P. ("Sleep Experts"), which operates approximately 56 mattress specialty retail stores in Texas under the brand Sleep Experts, for a purchase price of approximately $65 million, subject to working capital and other customary purchase price adjustments. As contemplated under the purchase agreement, $3.3 million of the purchase price will be delivered in the form of shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. having an equivalent aggregate value, as calculated in accordance with the terms of the purchase agreement. The closing of the acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and is currently expected to occur during the Company's first fiscal quarter ending April 29, 2014.

General Definitions for Operating Results

        Net sales are recognized upon delivery and acceptance of mattresses and bedding products by our customers and include fees collected for delivery services, and are recorded net of estimated returns. Customer deposits collected prior to the delivery of merchandise are recorded as a liability. Net sales are recognized net of sales tax collected from customers and remitted to various taxing jurisdictions.

        Cost of sales consist of the following:

    Costs associated with purchasing and delivering our products to our stores and customers, net of vendor incentives earned on the purchase of products subsequently sold;

    Physical inventory losses;

    Store and warehouse occupancy and depreciation expense of related facilities and equipment;

    Store and warehouse operating costs, including (i) warehouse labor costs, (ii) utilities, (iii) repairs and maintenance, (iv) supplies and (v) store facilities; and

    Estimated costs to provide for customer returns and exchanges and to service customer warranty claims.

        Gross profit from retail operations is net sales minus cost of sales.

        Franchise fees and royalty income represents initial franchise fees earned upon the opening of new franchisee stores and ongoing royalties based on a percentage of gross franchisee sales.

        Sales and marketing expenses consist of the following:

    Advertising and media production;

    Payroll and benefits for sales associates; and

    Merchant service fees for customer credit and debit card payments, check guarantee fees and promotional financing expense.

        General and administrative expenses consist of the following:

    Payroll and benefit costs for corporate office and regional management employees;

    Stock-based compensation costs;

    Occupancy costs of corporate facility;

    Information systems hardware, software and maintenance;

    Depreciation related to corporate assets;

    Management fees;

    Insurance; and

    Other overhead costs.

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        Intangible asset impairment charge consists of a non-cash impairment charge of $2.1 million attributable to the impairment of our Mattress Discounters trade name in fiscal 2012.

        Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets consists of the following:

    Estimated future costs to close locations at the time of closing including, as applicable, the difference between future lease obligations and anticipated sublease rentals;

    The write off of unamortized fixed assets related to store leasehold costs on closed stores; and

    Non-cash charges recognized for long-lived assets generally consisting of leasehold costs and related equipment resulting in a reduction of the carrying value to estimated fair value, based on our periodic assessment of whether projected future cash flows of individual stores are sufficient to recover the carrying value of the related assets.

        Income from operations consists of gross profit from retail operations plus franchise fees and royalty income, minus (i) sales and marketing expenses, (ii) general and administrative expenses, (iii) goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, and (iv) loss (gain) on store closings and impairment of store assets.

        Other expense, net includes interest income, interest expense, and gain (loss) on early debt extinguishments. Interest expense includes interest on outstanding debt, amortization of debt discounts, and amortization of financing costs.

Results of Operations

        The following table presents the consolidated historical financial operating data for our business expressed as a percentage of net sales for each period indicated. Our fiscal year consists of 52 or 53 weeks, ending on the Tuesday nearest to January 31, divided into twelve fiscal periods of four or five weeks each. Each fiscal year is described by the period of the calendar year that comprises the majority of the fiscal year period. The fiscal year ended January 28, 2014 is described as "fiscal 2013," the fiscal year ended January 29, 2013 is described as "fiscal 2012," and the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012 is described as "fiscal 2011". All fiscal years presented consist of 52 weeks of operations. The historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period (in thousands).

 
  Fiscal 2011   Fiscal 2012   Fiscal 2013  

Net sales

  $ 703,910     100.0 % $ 1,007,337     100.0 % $ 1,216,812     100.0 %

Costs of sales

    428,018     60.8 %   614,572     61.0 %   751,487     61.8 %
                           

Gross profit from retail operations

    275,892     39.2 %   392,765     39.0 %   465,325     38.2 %

Franchise fees and royalty income

    4,697     0.7 %   5,396     0.5 %   5,617     0.5 %
                           

    280,589     39.9 %   398,161     39.5 %   470,942     38.7 %

Sales and marketing expenses

    167,605     23.9 %   245,555     24.4 %   289,533     23.8 %

General and administrative expenses

    51,684     7.3 %   73,640     7.3 %   82,964     6.8 %

Intangible asset impairment charge

        0.0 %   2,100     0.2 %       0.0 %

Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets

    759     0.1 %   1,050     0.1 %   1,499     0.1 %
                           

Income from operations

    60,541     8.6 %   75,816     7.5 %   96,946     8.0 %

Other expense, net

    35,005     5.0 %   9,247     0.9 %   10,864     0.9 %
                           

Income before income taxes

    25,536     3.6 %   66,569     6.6 %   86,082     7.1 %

Income tax (benefit) expense

    (8,815 )   (1.3 )%   26,698     2.6 %   33,158     2.7 %
                           

Net income

  $ 34,351     4.9 % $ 39,871     4.0 % $ 52,924     4.3 %
                           
                           

        Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of the line items in the table above.

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Fiscal 2013 Compared to Fiscal 2012

        Net sales.    Net sales increased $209.5 million, or 20.8%, to $1,216.8 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $1,007.3 million during fiscal 2012, primarily as a result of an increase in the number of stores we operated. The components of the net sales increase for fiscal 2013, as compared to fiscal 2012, were as follows (in millions):

 
  Increase
(decrease)
in net sales
 

Comparable-store sales

  $ 13.0  

New stores

    132.0  

Acquired stores

    78.4  

Closed stores

    (13.9 )
       

  $ 209.5  
       
       

        The increase in comparable-store net sales represents a 1.3% comparable-store sales increase, which was primarily the result of an increase in unit sales driven by sales initiatives implemented during the second half of fiscal 2013 that encouraged our sales associates to improve sales productivity. As a result of these unit sales initiatives, comparable-store sales increased 2.9% and 6.5% during the third and fourth fiscal quarters of fiscal 2013, as compared with the prior year periods, offset partially by a decline in average sales per unit. We expect to continue these unit sales initiatives into fiscal 2014, although we cannot be assured they will continue to drive comparable-store sales growth. The sales increase for the fourth fiscal quarter of fiscal 2013 was net of the effects of severe winter weather that negatively impacted our sales during December 2013 and January 2014. The increase in our net sales from new stores was the result of 154 new stores opened at various times throughout fiscal 2013 compared to 118 stores opened throughout fiscal 2012, prior to their inclusion in the comparable-store sales calculation beginning with the thirteenth full fiscal period of operation. The increase in net sales from acquired stores was the result of the acquisitions of 181 Mattress Giant stores in May 2012, 34 Mattress X-Press stores in September 2012, 27 Mattress Source stores in December 2012, five Mattress People stores in November 2013, 39 Perfect Mattress stores in December 2013 and two Mattress Expo stores in December 2013. We closed 32 stores in both fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012 and the reduction in sales during fiscal 2013 from these closings totaled $13.9 million, as compared with $8.1 million from store closings in fiscal 2012. We operated 1,225 stores at the end of fiscal 2013, compared with 1,057 stores at the end of fiscal 2012.

        Cost of sales.    Cost of sales increased $136.9 million, or 22.3%, to $751.5 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $614.6 million during fiscal 2012. The major components of the increase in cost of sales are discussed below. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased to 61.8% during fiscal 2013, as compared to 61.0% for the comparable prior year period.

        Product costs increased by $83.5 million, or 22.0%, to $462.5 million during fiscal 2013, compared with $379.0 million during fiscal 2012. The increase in the amount of product costs was the result of the corresponding increase in net sales. Product costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 38.0% during fiscal 2013, from 37.6% during fiscal 2012. The increase of product costs as a percentage of net sales is primarily attributable to the implementation of sales initiatives noted above, which resulted in an increase in unit sales at lower product margins, partially offset by an improvement in terms under which we purchase merchandise. We expect that the recent trend of lower product margins as a result of the sales initiatives described above will continue into fiscal 2014.

        Store and warehouse occupancy costs, consisting primarily of lease related costs of rented facilities, increased $34.1 million, or 24.9%, to $170.8 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $136.7 million for the corresponding prior year period. The increase in the amount of store and warehouse occupancy

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costs during fiscal 2013 was mainly attributable to the increase in the number of stores we operated and the warehouse operations in a number of new markets opened or acquired during the fiscal year. Store and warehouse occupancy costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 14.0% during fiscal 2013, compared to 13.6% during fiscal 2012. The increase in store and warehouse occupancy costs as a percentage of net sales during fiscal 2013 was primarily attributable to our entrance into new markets that resulted in less scale and cost leverage relative to established markets and an increase in the store occupancy costs for new stores, partially offset by leverage generated from comparable-store sales growth in our established markets.

        Depreciation expense related to leasehold improvements and other fixed assets used in stores and warehouse operations increased $4.1 million, or 19.3%, to $25.6 million, during fiscal 2013, compared to $21.5 million during fiscal 2012. The increase in expense was primarily attributable to the increase in the number of stores we operated during fiscal 2013, as compared to the comparable prior year period.

        Other cost of sales, consisting of store and warehouse operating and delivery costs, increased $15.2 million, or 19.7%, to $92.6 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $77.4 million during fiscal 2012, primarily as a result of the increase in net sales and in the increase in the number of stores we operated during fiscal 2013, as compared to the corresponding prior year period. Other cost of sales for fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012 included $0.2 million and $2.6 million, respectively, of acquisition-related costs related to the Mattress Giant, Mattress X-Press and Mattress Source acquisitions in 2012, consisting of temporary storage facilities during the integration periods and duplicate costs attributable to certain warehouse facilities that have been consolidated.

        Gross profit from retail operations.    As a result of the above, gross profit from retail operations increased $72.5 million, or 18.5%, to $465.3 million during fiscal 2013, compared with $392.8 million during fiscal 2012. Gross profit from retail operations as a percentage of net sales decreased to 38.2% during fiscal 2013, as compared to 39.0% during fiscal 2012, for the reasons discussed above.

        Franchise fees and royalty income.    Franchise fees and royalty income increased $0.2 million, or 4.1%, to $5.6 million for fiscal 2013, compared to $5.4 million during the corresponding prior year period. The increase in income was attributable to a $0.5 million increase in royalty income, which was primarily due to increases in sales for franchised stores as compared with the prior year period mainly due to new stores, which was partially offset by a $0.3 million decrease in initial fees, resulting from a decrease in the number of new franchisee stores opened during fiscal 2013 as compared with fiscal 2012. Our franchisees operated 136 stores at January 28, 2014. In March 2014, the Company acquired 34 former franchisee stores from Yotes. The acquisition of the assets and operations of our former franchisees Perfect Mattress and Yotes in December 2013 and March 2014, respectively, are expected to result in a decrease in franchise fees and royalty income in fiscal 2014. During fiscal 2013, we recognized combined franchise fees and royalty income from these former franchisees in the amount of $1.7 million.

        Sales and marketing expenses.    Sales and marketing expenses increased $43.9 million, or 17.9%, to $289.5 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $245.6 million during fiscal 2012. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net sales decreased to 23.8% during fiscal 2013, compared to 24.4% during fiscal 2012. The components of sales and marketing expenses are explained below.

        Advertising expense increased $18.1 million, or 20.8%, to $105.3 million during fiscal 2013, from $87.2 million during fiscal 2012. The increase in the amount of advertising spend was mainly attributable to increased spending to enhance our market share in many of our established markets and, to a lesser extent, our expansion into new markets. Advertising expense as a percentage of net sales remained flat at 8.7% during both fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012. We receive funds from time to time from certain vendors for the advertisement of their products, and we recognize these funds as a direct reduction of advertising expense. The amount of vendor advertising funds that were recognized as a

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reduction of advertising expense totaled $9.1 million during fiscal 2013, compared with $5.2 million during fiscal 2012.

        Other sales and marketing expenses, consisting mainly of salesman compensation costs, but also including costs incurred to accept payments from our customers, such as credit card and third party finance fees, increased $25.9 million, or 16.3%, to $184.2 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $158.3 million during fiscal 2012, primarily as a result of the increase in net sales during the period. Other sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net sales decreased to 15.1% during fiscal 2013, compared to 15.7% during fiscal 2012. The decrease in expense as a percentage of net sales is primarily the result of the normalization of per store staffing levels that had increased above normal levels in the prior year period as a result of acquisitions completed during fiscal 2012.

        General and administrative expenses.    General and administrative expenses increased $9.4 million, or 12.7%, to $83.0 million for fiscal 2013, compared to $73.6 million for fiscal 2012. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily a result of our growth, including a $10.3 million increase in wages, benefits and stock-based compensation resulting from employee additions to our corporate office, a $2.8 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense due to our continued investment in our corporate infrastructure to support our growth strategy, a $1.8 million increase related to training for our ERP system and a $6.7 million increase in various other general and administrative expense categories, partially offset by an $10.3 million decrease in acquisition-related costs and a $1.9 million decrease in costs incurred in connection with a secondary offering of shares of common stock by certain of our selling stockholders which was completed in October 2012. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales decreased to 6.8% during fiscal 2013, compared to 7.3% for the comparable prior year period. The decrease in general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales is primarily due to the decrease in acquisition-related costs noted above, a decrease in secondary offering costs as noted above and decreases in various other areas, offset by the increase in ERP system training costs noted above as well as higher ongoing costs related to the new ERP system, and increases in depreciation and amortization costs noted above. We expect to continue making investments in our corporate infrastructure commensurate with our growth strategy.

        Intangible asset impairment charge.    During fiscal 2012, we recognized an impairment charge in the amount of $2.1 million to reduce the carrying amount of the Mattress Discounters trade name to its estimated fair value as a result of our decision to rebrand 20 stores as Mattress Firm that were acquired in 2010 in and around Virginia Beach, Virginia and had been operated under the acquired brand Mattress Discounters. No impairment charges related to our intangible assets were recognized in fiscal 2013.

        Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets.    Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets increased $0.4 million to $1.5 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $1.1 million during fiscal 2012, primarily as a result of an increase of $0.3 million in store-level fixed asset impairment charges over the prior year period, and to a lesser extent, an increase in the amount of remaining lease commitments on stores that we closed during fiscal 2013.

        Other expense, net.    Other expense, net, for both periods consisted primarily of interest expense. Interest expense increased $1.6 million, or 17.5%, to $10.9 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $9.3 million during fiscal 2012, primarily as a result of the 150 basis-point increase in the term debt borrowing rate in connection with the November 2012 amendment to the 2012 Senior Credit Facility.

        Income tax expense.    We recognized $33.2 million and $26.7 million of income tax expense during fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012, respectively. The effective tax rate was 38.5% and 40.1% during fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012, respectively, and differs primarily as a result of the impact of non-deductible acquisition-related and secondary offering costs in 2012.

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        The effective tax rate during fiscal 2013 was 38.5%, which is above the federal statutory rate of 35.0% primarily due to state income taxes.

        Net income.    As a result of the above, our net income was $52.9 million during fiscal 2013, compared to $39.9 million during fiscal 2012.

Fiscal 2012 Compared to Fiscal 2011

        Net sales.    Net sales increased $303.4 million, or 43.1%, to $1,007.3 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $703.9 million during fiscal 2011. The components of the net sales increase were as follows (in millions):

 
  Increase
(decrease)
in net sales
 

Comparable-store sales

  $ 41.9  

New stores

    120.8  

Acquired stores

    148.8  

Closed stores

    (8.1 )
       

  $ 303.4  
       
       

        The increase in comparable-store net sales represents a 6.1% comparable-store sales increase, which was primarily the result of an increase in the number of customer transactions. The increase in our net sales from new stores was the result of 118 new stores opened at various times throughout fiscal 2012 compared to 106 stores opened throughout fiscal 2011, prior to their inclusion in the comparable-store sales calculation beginning with the thirteenth full fiscal period of operation. The increase in net sales from acquired stores was the result of the acquisitions of 55 Mattress Giant stores in November 2011, 181 Mattress Giant stores in May 2012, 34 Mattress X-Press stores in September 2012 and 27 Mattress Source stores in December 2012. We closed 32 stores in fiscal 2012 and 24 stores in fiscal 2011 and the reduction in sales during fiscal 2012 from these closings totaled $8.1 million. We operated 1,057 stores at the end of fiscal 2012, compared with 729 stores at the end of fiscal 2011.

        Cost of sales.    Cost of sales increased $186.6 million, or 43.6%, to $614.6 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $428.0 million during fiscal 2011. The major components of the increase in cost of sales are discussed below. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased to 61.0% during fiscal 2012, as compared to 60.8% during fiscal 2011.

        Product costs increased by $107.6 million, or 39.6%, to $379.0 million during fiscal 2012, compared with $271.4 million during fiscal 2011. Product costs as a percentage of net sales decreased to 37.6% during fiscal 2012 from 38.6% during fiscal 2011. The increase in the amount of product costs is the result of the corresponding increase in net sales. The decrease of this expense as a percentage of net sales during fiscal 2012 is primarily the result of an increase in the mix of higher margin products and improvement in vendor incentive terms with certain vendors.

        Store and warehouse occupancy costs, consisting primarily of lease-related costs of rented facilities, increased $44.1 million, or 47.7%, to $136.7 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $92.6 million during fiscal 2011. Store and warehouse occupancy costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 13.6% during fiscal 2012, compared to 13.2% in fiscal 2011. The increase in the amount of expense during fiscal 2012 was mainly attributable to the increase in the number of stores we operated and the commencement of warehouse operations in a number of new markets. The increase in expenses as a percentage of net sales during fiscal 2012 was attributable to the acquisition of Mattress Giant stores in November 2011 and May 2012, Mattress X-Press stores in September 2012 and Mattress Source stores

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in December 2012 with lower store occupancy leverage as a result of average sales per store that, while improving, were lower than the average of our existing store base.

        Depreciation expense of leasehold improvement and other fixed assets used in stores and warehouse operations increased $5.8 million, or 36.7%, to $21.5 million, during fiscal 2012, compared to $15.7 million during fiscal 2011. The increase in expense was primarily attributable to the increase in the number of stores we operated during fiscal 2012, as compared with fiscal 2011.

        Other cost of sales, consisting of store and warehouse operating and delivery costs, increased $29.1 million, or 60.2%, to $77.4 million, during fiscal 2012, compared to $48.3 million during fiscal 2011, primarily as a result of the increase in net sales and in the number of stores we operated during fiscal 2012, as compared with the prior year period. Other cost of sales included $2.6 million of acquisition-related costs related to the Mattress Giant, Mattress X-Press and Mattress Source acquisitions, consisting of costs to transfer merchandise to and from the acquired stores and temporary storage facilities during the integration periods and duplicate costs attributable to certain warehouse facilities that have been consolidated.

        Gross profit from retail operations.    As a result of the above, gross profit from retail operations increased $116.9 million, or 42.4%, to $392.8 million, during fiscal 2012, compared with $275.9 million during fiscal 2011. Gross profit from retail operations as a percentage of net sales decreased to 39.0% during fiscal 2012, as compared to 39.2% during fiscal 2011.

        Franchise fees and royalty income.    Franchise fees and royalty income increased $0.7 million, or 15.2%, to $5.4 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $4.7 million during fiscal 2011. The increase in income was attributable to a $1.0 million increase in royalty income, which was primarily due to increases in sales for franchise stores as compared with the prior year period mainly due to franchise store sales increases, which was partially offset by a $0.3 million decrease in initial fees, resulting from a decrease in the number of new franchisee stores opened during fiscal 2012 as compared with fiscal 2011. Our franchisees operated 158 stores at January 29, 2013.

        Sales and marketing expenses.    Sales and marketing expenses increased $78.0 million, or 46.5%, to $245.6 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $167.6 million during fiscal 2011. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 24.4% during fiscal 2012, compared to 23.8% during fiscal 2011. The components of sales and marketing expenses are explained below.

        Advertising expense increased $27.0 million, or 44.9%, to $87.2 million during fiscal 2012, from $60.2 million during fiscal 2011. Advertising expense as a percentage of net sales increased to 8.7% during fiscal 2012, compared to 8.5% during fiscal 2011. The increase in the amount of advertising spending was mainly attributable to our efforts to increase the number of customers shopping in our stores, and to a lesser extent, our expansion into new markets. We expect to maintain or increase advertising expense as a percentage of sales if we continue to experience sales per store and comparable-store sales growth and gain expense leverage in other operating expense areas. We receive funds from time to time from certain vendors for the advertisement of their products, and we recognize these funds as a direct reduction of advertising expense. The amount of vendor advertising funds that were recognized as a reduction of advertising expense totaled $5.2 million during fiscal 2012, compared with $3.9 million during fiscal 2011.

        Other sales and marketing expenses, consisting mainly of salesman compensation costs, but also including costs incurred to accept payments from our customers, such as credit card and third party finance fees, increased $51.0 million, or 47.4%, to $158.3 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $107.4 million during fiscal 2011, primarily as a result of the increase in net sales during the period due to an increase in the number of stores we operated. Other sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 15.7% during fiscal 2012, compared to 15.3% during fiscal 2011. The increase in expense as a percentage of sales reflects higher per store staffing levels that occurred in

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connection with the recent acquisitions and related pre-acquisition hiring efforts, as well as lower than anticipated attrition levels of the former Mattress Giant sales associates. We expect that per store staffing levels will normalize over the next two quarters primarily through planned store growth.

        General and administrative expenses.    General and administrative expenses increased $21.9 million, or 42.5%, to $73.6 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $51.7 million during fiscal 2011. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales remained flat at 7.3% during both fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011. General and administrative expenses increased primarily as a result of our growth, and increased costs associated with being a publicly traded company, including a $10.4 million increase in wages and benefits resulting from employee additions to our corporate office, $9.4 million of acquisition-related costs related to the Mattress Giant, Mattress X-Press and Mattress Source acquisitions, $1.9 million of costs incurred in connection with a secondary offering of shares of common stock by certain of our stockholders which was completed in October 2012, and an aggregate increase of $0.2 million in various other general and administrative expense categories. We expect to continue making investments in our corporate infrastructure commensurate with our growth strategy.

        Intangible asset impairment charge.    During fiscal 2012, we recognized an impairment charge in the amount of $2.1 million to reduce the carrying amount of our Mattress Discounters trade name intangible to its estimated fair value as a result of our decision to rebrand 20 stores as Mattress Firm that were acquired in 2010 in and around Virginia Beach, Virginia and had been operated under the acquired brand Mattress Discounters. No impairment charges related to our intangible assets were recognized in fiscal 2011.

        Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets.    Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets increased $0.3 million to $1.1 million during fiscal 2012 compared with $0.8 million during fiscal 2011. The increase in the loss during fiscal 2012 was mainly attributable to an increase in the amount of remaining lease commitments on stores that we closed during the fiscal year.

        Other expense, net.    Other expense, net, for both periods consisted primarily of interest expense. Interest expense decreased $20.0 million, or 68.4%, to $9.3 million during fiscal 2012, compared to $29.3 million during fiscal 2011, primarily as a result of the repayment of related-party debt in conjunction with the initial public offering in November 2011. Fiscal 2011 also includes a $5.7 million loss from debt extinguishment related to the repayment of related-party debt.

        Income tax (benefit) expense.    We recognized $26.7 million of income tax expense during fiscal 2012, compared to $(8.8) million of income tax benefit during fiscal 2011. The effective tax rate was 40.1% during fiscal 2012, compared to (34.5)% during fiscal 2011, and differs primarily as a result of the change in the valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets.

        The effective tax rate during fiscal 2012 was 40.1%, which is above the federal statutory rate of 35.0% primarily as a result of state income taxes and non-deductible acquisition-related and secondary offering costs.

        Net income.    As a result of the above, our net income was $39.9 million during fiscal 2012 compared to $34.4 million during fiscal 2011.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows

        The following table summarizes the principal elements of our cash flows (in thousands):

 
  Fiscal
2011
  Fiscal
2012
  Fiscal
2013
 

Total cash provided by (used in):

                   

Operating activities

  $ 81,675   $ 78,738   $ 103,441  

Investing activities

    (42,314 )   (131,655 )   (64,379 )

Financing activities

    4,140     19,527     (30,740 )
               

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

    43,501     (33,390 )   8,322  

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

    4,445     47,946     14,556  
               

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

  $ 47,946   $ 14,556   $ 22,878  
               
               

        Operating cash flows.    Net cash provided by operating activities increased $24.7 million to $103.4 million for fiscal 2013, as compared to fiscal 2012. The increase in operating cash flows was primarily due to the increase in net income during fiscal 2013, as adjusted to exclude noncash items included in the determination of net income, and the effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities, which included (i) a $4.7 million decrease in cash requirements during fiscal 2013 to purchase floor sample inventories for acquired stores, (ii) a reduction of $4.7 million in cash provided from new store vendor funds during fiscal 2013 as a result of a higher amount of such funds received on stores acquired in fiscal 2012, (iii) a $4.5 million increase in cash provided from the timing of collections of vendor incentives during fiscal 2013, and (iv) a $5.7 million net increase in cash provided from other changes in operating assets and liabilities during fiscal 2013 related to our growth and from normal fluctuations in the timing of cash flow activities.

        Net cash provided by operating activities was $78.7 million for fiscal 2012, compared to $81.7 million for fiscal 2011. The $3.0 million decrease in cash flows from operating activities as compared to the prior year was primarily due to (i) a $5.5 million improvement in net income, which includes an $8.9 million increase in cash income taxes resulting from our utilization of net operating loss carryforwards to offset only a portion of taxable income during 2012, and as increased by $13.0 million from the exclusion of the changes in noncash items included in net income, compared to the prior year, (ii) a $2.0 million increase in construction allowances received from landlords and (iii) changes in operating assets and liabilities, which resulted in an incremental use of operating cash flows of $23.5 million, as compared to the prior year, consisting primarily of (a) $5.2 million in cash used in fiscal 2012 to satisfy obligations related to accounts payable and accrued liabilities assumed in acquisitions, (b) $8.9 million in cash used for increases in floor sample inventories related to the addition of new and acquired stores in fiscal 2012, and (c) $9.4 million in cash used from changes in other operating assets and liabilities related to our growth and from normal fluctuations in the timing of cash flow activities.

        Investing cash flows.    Net cash used in investing activities was $64.4 million for fiscal 2013, compared to net cash used of $131.6 million for fiscal 2012. The $67.2 million decrease was primarily due to a $54.2 million decrease in cash used for acquisitions in fiscal 2013 as compared to the prior year and a $13.0 million decrease in capital expenditures as compared to the prior year due to a decrease in total new and acquired stores.

        Net cash used in investing activities was $131.6 million for fiscal 2012, compared to net cash used of $42.3 million for fiscal 2011. The $89.3 million increase was primarily due to the May 2012 Mattress Giant, September 2012 Mattress X-Press, and December 2012 Mattress Source acquisitions that utilized

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approximately $43.9 million, $7.7 million and $11.4 million in cash during fiscal 2012, respectively. Capital expenditures increased $34.3 million primarily due to new store openings, rebranding and renovations of acquired stores and the ongoing design and implementation of our new enterprise resource planning system. Excluding stores added through acquisitions, we opened 118 new stores during fiscal 2012, compared to 106 new stores in fiscal 2011. The renovations of Mattress Giant stores acquired in November 2011 and May 2012 resulted in approximately $17.8 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2012. The renovations of Mattress X-Press and Mattress Source stores acquired in September 2012 and December 2012, respectively, resulted in approximately $2.4 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2012.

        Financing cash flows.    Net cash used in financing activities was $30.7 million for fiscal 2013, compared to net cash provided of $19.5 million for fiscal 2012. Net cash used during fiscal 2013 was primarily the result of scheduled payments of our debt, net of $3.2 million in net cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options and tax benefits of stock-based awards. Our outstanding revolving borrowings were $21 million at the end of both fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012, and borrowings and payments under the revolving portion of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility had no net effect on financing cash flows during fiscal 2013.

        Net cash provided by financing activities was $19.5 million for fiscal 2012, due primarily to net borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility to partially fund our acquisitions and new store openings, compared to net cash provided of $4.1 million for fiscal 2011.

Initial Public Offering

        On November 23, 2011, we completed the initial public offering of 6,388,888 shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at $19.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. The initial public offering generated net proceeds to us of approximately $110.4 million, after deducting the underwriting discount and offering-related costs. The Company used a portion of the proceeds to repay the 2007 Subordinated Loan Facility, as amended in March 2009 (the "2009 Loan Facility") in full. In connection with the offering, the principal and accrued interest of the 12% payment-in-kind investor notes maturing at various times from October 24, 2012 through March 19, 2015 (the "PIK Notes") were either repaid or converted into shares of our common stock and the 12% convertible notes due July 18, 2016 (the "Convertible Notes") were converted into shares of our common stock.

        As a result, we reduced our outstanding debt, with a weighted average interest rate of 14.5%, in the aggregate amount of $188.0 million in principal and accrued interest thereon. We recognized a loss on debt extinguishment in the amount of $5.7 million during the fiscal 2011, related to the reduction of debt in advance of and in connection with the initial public offering. As a result of the initial public offering, we are incurring significantly lower amounts of interest expense.

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Sources of Liquidity and Capital Requirements

        Our primary uses of cash are to fund growth capital and maintenance expenditures for our stores and distribution centers, purchases and replacement of floor sample inventories maintained in our stores, scheduled debt service payments and strategic acquisitions of mattress specialty retailers. Historically, we have satisfied these cash requirements from cash flows provided by our operations and availability under the revolving portion of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility.

        Typically, we collect payment from our customers at or near the time of sale, and, as such, we do not carry significant accounts receivable balances from our customers. Many of our suppliers deliver product to our distribution centers within 48 hours following our placement of a purchase order, which allows us to carry lower inventory levels. We pay the majority of our vendors for our purchases on terms that, on average, allow us to collect payments on the sale of our products before we must pay our vendors. The attributes of our operating cycle lower our working capital requirements and have historically allowed us to operate for extended periods while maintaining a negative working capital position.

        Our future capital requirements will vary based on the number of additional stores, including relocated stores, we open and the number of stores we choose to renovate, and the number and size of any acquisitions we choose to make, including franchisee acquisitions. Our decisions regarding opening, relocating or renovating stores, and whether to engage in strategic acquisitions, are based in part on macroeconomic factors and the general state of the U.S. economy, as well as the local economies in the markets in which our stores are located.

        We plan to spend approximately $65.0 million to $75.0 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2014, including estimated costs to complete the rebranding and renovation of stores from the recent acquisitions. We are permitted to spend up to $80.0 million per year in capital expenditures under the terms of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility. The permitted amount may be increased for any year by the amount of equity capital that is contributed to Mattress Holding Corp. during the year for that purpose. In addition, to the extent capital expenditures made in any year are less than the permitted amount, the amount of the shortfall in that year may increase the permitted amount of capital expenditures for the immediately succeeding (but not any subsequent) year. We can also utilize the permitted amount from the following year to increase the permitted amount in the current year with a reduction in the following year's permitted amount. We believe the permitted amount of capital expenditures under our 2012 Senior Credit Facility is in excess of our expected capital expenditure requirements for fiscal 2014.

        We believe that we will be able to satisfy our capital requirements for the next twelve months, including supporting our existing operations, continuing our growth strategy, and satisfying our scheduled debt service payments, through a combination of our existing reserves of cash and cash equivalents, internally generated cash flows from operations, and, as required, revolving and incremental term loan borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility. The revolving portion of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility allows us to borrow up to $100.0 million, of which up to $15.0 million is available for issuance as letters of credit. There were $21.0 million in outstanding borrowings and $1.9 million in outstanding standby letters of credit under the revolving facility as of January 28, 2014, resulting in $77.1 million of available borrowings as of such date. As a result of the amendment of the 2012 Senior Credit Facility on February 27, 2014, the maturity date of the revolving credit facility was extended one year to January 18, 2016, and the amount of allowed incremental term loans was increased to $200 million. In addition, we had $22.9 million of cash and cash equivalents as of January 28, 2014.

        As described in the section "Subsequent Events", we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets and operations of Yotes and the Virginia operations of Southern Max on March 3, 2014. The cash requirements of the acquisitions totaling approximately $15.5 million were satisfied using cash reserves and revolver borrowings. In addition, on March 7, 2014 we entered into an agreement to

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purchase one hundred percent of the outstanding partnership interests in Sleep Experts Partners, L.P. ("Sleep Experts"). The closing of the Sleep Experts acquisition, which is expected to occur before the end of our first fiscal quarter on April 29, 2014, will require approximately $62 million of cash. The Company expects to raise approximately $100 million of incremental term borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility to fund the cash requirements of the Sleep Experts acquisition and to pay down outstanding revolver borrowings. The new incremental term borrowings will mature in January 2016 and are expected to be subject to the same interest rate as the currently outstanding incremental borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility.

        During fiscal 2012, we utilized the remainder of net operating loss carryforwards generated in prior years to reduce a significant portion of our federal and state income tax requirements. As a result of the utilization of net operating losses in fiscal 2012 and the increase in taxable income resulting from fiscal 2013 results of operations, our cash requirements for income taxes increased by approximately $17.2 million during fiscal 2013, as compared to the prior year. We had approximately $9.1 million of net operating loss carryforwards at January 28, 2014 that will begin expiring in fiscal 2029, if not utilized to offset future taxable income. These net operating loss carryforwards arose from the acquisition of MGHC Holding Corporation in fiscal 2012, and after application of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), are limited to an average use of $2.8 million per year over the next four years, unless we undergo a more than 50% "ownership change" within the meaning of the Code, which may limit our ability to utilize pre-change losses.

Debt Service

        As of January 28, 2014, we had total indebtedness of $221.2 million. The components of our debt as of January 28, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):

2012 Senior Credit Facility

  $ 219,098  

Other

    2,110  
       

Total long-term debt

  $ 221,208  
       
       

        2012 Senior Credit Facility—On January 18, 2007, Mattress Holding Corp., an indirect consolidated subsidiary of ours, entered into a credit agreement with UBS Securities LLC and certain of its affiliates and other lenders for a senior secured term loan and revolving credit facility, which was amended and restated on November 5, 2012 and further amended on February 27, 2014 (as amended, the "2012 Senior Credit Facility"). The November 2012 amendment and restatement, among other things, (i) increased the revolving loan commitments from $35 million to $100 million, (ii) extended the maturity date of the revolving credit facility by two years to January 2015, (iii) extended the maturity date of outstanding term loans having an aggregate principal amount of $200 million by two years to January 2016 ("extended term loans"), (iv) increased the interest rate applicable to amounts outstanding under the extended term loans and revolving loans by 1.25%, (v) increased the amount of permitted capital expenditures to $80 million on an annual basis, beginning with capital expenditures incurred during fiscal 2012, and (vi) increased the maximum cumulative amount that Mattress Holding Corp. and its subsidiary guarantors may incur for permitted acquisitions through the extended maturity date. We incurred fees in connection with the amendment of approximately $1.5 million in fiscal 2012. The February 2014 amendment, among other things, (a) extended the maturity date of the revolving credit facility by one year to January 2016, (b) increased the incremental term loan facility amount by $150 million to $200 million, (c) increased the maximum amount the borrower and its subsidiary guarantors may spend in respect of acquisitions, on a per acquisition basis, from $50 million to $75 million, and (d) increased the maximum amount the borrower and its subsidiary guarantors may spend in respect of acquisitions, on an aggregate basis, from $200 million to $350 million.

        As of January 28, 2014, the 2012 Senior Credit Facility consisted of (i) outstanding term loan borrowings of $198.1 million maturing on January 18, 2016 and (ii) $21.0 million of outstanding

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borrowings under a $100.0 million revolving credit facility maturing on January 18, 2015 (which, as a result of the February 2014 amendment, will now mature on January 18, 2016), which includes a $15.0 million letter of credit subfacility and a $5.0 million swingline loan subfacility. At January 28, 2014, there was approximately $1.9 million in outstanding letters of credit, resulting in remaining availability under the revolving credit facility of $77.1 million.

        Borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility bear interest at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (i) a base rate determined by reference to the highest of (a) the corporate base rate of interest established by the administrative agent and (b) the federal funds effective rate from time to time plus 0.50%, or (ii) the London Interbank Offered Rate, or "LIBOR," determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs.

        The applicable margin percentages for extended term loans are 2.50% for base rate loans and 3.50% for LIBOR loans. The applicable margin percentages for revolving loans are 2.50% for base rate loans and 3.50% for LIBOR loans. Swingline loans bear interest at an interest rate equal to the interest rate for base rate loans, and as of January 28, 2014, no such borrowings were outstanding. On the last day of each quarter, we also pay a commitment fee (payable in arrears) in respect of any unused commitments under the revolving credit facility, subject to adjustment based upon the total leverage ratio of Mattress Holding Corp. which varies from 0.375% to 0.50%. As of January 28, 2014, the commitment fee was 0.375%. We also pay fees for the issuance and maintenance of letters of credit.

        Outstanding term borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility are payable in quarterly principal installments of $0.5 million in fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015. Accrued interest on outstanding borrowings is payable from time to time and no less frequently than quarterly. Furthermore, we are subject to an annual mandatory principal prepayment in an amount equal to a portion of "excess cash flow," as defined in the 2012 Senior Credit Facility, payable no later than 120 days after the end of each fiscal year. Such prepayments are first applied to reduce scheduled quarterly principal repayments for the next four quarters in order of maturity and then to reduce future quarterly payments through maturity on a pro-rata basis. We made an excess cash flow payment in the amount of $0.8 million on June 1, 2011 with respect to excess cash flows related to fiscal 2010. No excess cash flow payments were required with respect to fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013. There are other mandatory prepayment requirements, subject to certain exceptions, from the net cash proceeds of certain asset sale and casualty and condemnation events, subject to reinvestment rights, from the net cash proceeds of any incurrence of certain debt, other than debt permitted under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility, and from the net cash proceeds of specified issuances of preferred equity securities. No such prepayments were required in fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012, and fiscal 2013. We may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary "breakage" costs with respect to LIBOR loans.

        Other Indebtedness.    Our subsidiary, Mattress Firm, Inc., has an outstanding note payable related to the purchase of mattress specialty retail stores formerly operated by our franchisee, Perfect Mattress, in the aggregate principal amount of $2.0 million that bears interest at 7.75% with quarterly principal and interest payments through 2014.

        Our subsidiary, Mattress Firm, Inc., has notes payable for financing of equipment purchases in the amount of $0.1 million that are collateralized by the equipment with carrying amounts that approximate the outstanding principal balances of the related notes payable as of January 28, 2014.

Covenant Compliance

        We were in compliance with all of the financial covenants required under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility and our other indebtedness as of January 28, 2014. We believe that we will be able to maintain compliance with the various covenants required under our debt agreements for the next twelve months without amending any of the debt agreements or requesting waivers from the lenders that are party to the debt agreements.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

        Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In connection with the preparation of our financial statements, we are required to make assumptions and estimates about future events, and apply judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and the related disclosures. We base our assumptions, estimates and judgments on historical experience, current trends and other factors that management believes to be relevant at the time our consolidated financial statements are prepared. On a regular basis, we review the accounting policies, assumptions, estimates and judgments to ensure that our financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with U.S. GAAP. However, because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and such differences could be material.

        Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1, Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We believe that the following accounting estimates are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and they require our most difficult subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We have reviewed these critical accounting estimates and related disclosures with the audit committee of our board of directors.

Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Revenue Recognition

               
Sales revenue, including fees collected for delivery services, is recognized upon delivery and acceptance of mattresses and bedding products by the Company's customers and is recorded net of returns. Customer deposits collected prior to the delivery of merchandise are recorded as a liability.


The Company accrues a liability for estimated sales returns and exchanges in the period that the related sales are recognized. The Company provides its customers with a comfort satisfaction guarantee whereby the customer may return or exchange the original mattress anytime during 100 days from the date of original purchase. Mattresses received back are reconditioned pursuant to state law and resold through the Company's clearance center stores as used merchandise. The Company accrues a liability for the estimated costs, net of estimated restocking fees, related to the diminishment in value of the returned merchandise at the time the sale is recognized based upon historical experience. The liability for sales returns and sales exchanges is included in other accrued liabilities.
      Our revenue recognition accounting methodology contains uncertainties in that management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate future sales returns and exchanges and the associated costs.


Effective August 2010, we revised our return and exchange policy to enable our customers to return products for any reason up to 100 days after the original purchase date for either a full refund or exchange credit without the incurrence of exchange or other fees. The policy is referred to as the Happiness Guarantee®. Prior to this new policy, a customer could exchange a mattress for a similar mattress from 30 days to 90 days from the original purchase date, subject to a restocking fee, although the restocking fee could be waived at the discretion of the sales associate.


The Happiness Guarantee® has resulted in an increased amount of returns and exchanges. The increased activity and the elimination of exchange fee collections will continue to increase the estimated cost of sales returns and exchanges.
      We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to measure the estimated liability for sales returns and exchanges. The Happiness Guarantee® has resulted in an increase in such costs and we will review and revise our estimates as additional experience is obtained. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Vendor Incentives

             

 

Cash payments received from vendors as incentives to enter into or to maintain long-term supply arrangements, including payments received in connection with the opening of new stores and volume-based incentives requiring minimum purchase volumes during the term of the supply agreement, are deferred and amortized as a reduction of cost of sales using a systematic approach.


Vendor incentives that are based on a percentage of the cost of purchased merchandise, such as cooperative advertising funds, are accounted for as a reduction of the price of the vendor's products and result in a reduction of cost of sales when the merchandise is sold. Vendor incentives that are direct reimbursements of costs incurred by the Company to sell the vendor's products are accounted for as a reduction of the related costs when recognized in the Company's results of operations.


The Company receives cash funds from certain vendors upon the opening of a new store ("new store funds") if the opening results in an increase in the total number of stores in operation. Under the current supply arrangements, the Company is not required to purchase a stated amount of products for an individual store or in total as a condition to receipt of the new store funds, although it is obligated to repay a portion of new store funds if a new store is subsequently closed, if the Company ceases to sell the supplier's products in the new store or if a supply arrangement is terminated early. The Company classifies new store funds as a noncurrent liability and recognizes a pro-rata reduction of cost of sales in the results of operations over 36 months, which is the period that most closely aligns with the terms of the Company's supply agreements regarding the manner in which new store funds are earned.
      Certain of our vendor agreements contain purchase volume incentives that require minimum purchase volumes and may provide for increased incentives when graduated purchase volumes are met. Amounts accrued as vendor receivables throughout the year could be impacted if actual purchase volumes differ from projected annual purchase volumes.       We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to recognize vendor receivables during the past three fiscal years.


If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions and estimates used, we may be exposed to additional adjustments that could materially, either positively or negatively, impact our gross profit and inventory valuation. However, substantially all receivables associated with these activities are collected within the following fiscal year and all amounts deferred against inventory turnover within the following fiscal year are realized. As a result, subjective long-term estimates are not required. Adjustments to our gross profit and inventory in the following fiscal year have historically not been material.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Self-Insured Liabilities

             

 

We are self-insured for certain losses related to employee health and workers' compensation liability claims. However, we obtain third-party insurance coverage to limit our exposure to these claims.


When estimating our self-insured liabilities, we consider a number of factors, including historical claims experience, demographic factors, severity factors and valuations provided by independent third-party actuaries.


Periodically, we review our assumptions and the valuation provided by independent third-party actuaries to determine the adequacy of our self-insured liabilities.
      Our self-insurance liabilities contain uncertainties because management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the ultimate cost to settle reported claims and claims incurred but not reported at the balance sheet date.


      We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to establish our self-insured liabilities during the past three fiscal years.


We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood there will be a material change in the estimates or assumptions we use to calculate our self-insured liabilities. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We evaluate goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets may not be recoverable.


We assign the carrying value of these intangible assets to their "reporting units" and apply the impairment test at the reporting unit level. We complete our impairment evaluation by performing internal valuation analyses, considering other publicly available market information and using an independent valuation firm, as appropriate.


The test for goodwill impairment involves a comparison of the fair value of our reporting units to their respective carrying amounts, including goodwill ("quantitative evaluation"). If the carrying value exceeds fair value, the fair value of goodwill is compared with the respective carrying value and an impairment loss is recognized in the amount of the excess. The impairment test for indefinite-lived assets consists of a comparison of the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. After an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying amount of the asset establishes the new accounting basis.


At the Company's option, determined annually, the test for goodwill may also be performed through a qualitative evaluation as to whether or not it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value using an assessment of relevant events and circumstances. If any reporting unit is concluded to be more likely impaired than not, the Company proceeds to the quantitative evaluation described above. The Company did not elect to utilize the qualitative assessment approach for the goodwill impairment test performed for fiscal 2013.
      The impairment test for goodwill is performed for each reporting unit. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment or one level below a segment, a component. We manage our company-operated stores on a geographic basis. Our operating segments consist of each of our geographic regions of company-operated stores ("regions"), e-commerce sales, multi-channel sales representing our special events operations and the franchise business. Geographic territory components comprise each of the company-operated store regions and are aggregated within each region as all territory components possess similar economic characteristics. The e-commerce, multi-channel sales and franchise operating segments have no lower level components and each of these operating segments is a reporting unit. All of our goodwill is assigned to our region and e-commerce reporting units. The method of assigning goodwill to reporting units is applied in a consistent manner and may involve estimates and assumptions.

In the quantitative evaluation of goodwill impairment, we determine fair value for each of these reporting units by using widely accepted valuation techniques, including the income approach and the market approach. These types of valuation techniques contain uncertainties because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate industry economic factors and the profitability of future business strategies. It is our policy to conduct impairment testing based on our current business strategy in light of present industry and economic conditions, as well as our future expectations.
      As we test goodwill impairment at the reporting unit level, we may be required to incur goodwill impairment charges based on adverse changes affecting a particular reporting unit, regardless of overall performance. Such impairment charges may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.


The fair values of all of our reporting units were substantially in excess of the assigned carrying values in the most recent impairment test performed as of the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013.


We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to test for impairment of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimate or assumptions, we may be exposed to an impairment charge that could be material.


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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Long-Lived Assets

               
Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Our investment in store leasehold improvements, including fixtures and equipment, is the most significant long-lived asset.


When evaluating long-lived assets for potential impairment, we first compare the carrying value of the asset to the asset's undiscounted estimated future cash flows. If the estimated future cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset, we calculate an impairment loss based on the asset's carrying value in excess of the asset's estimated fair value.
      The impairment review of long-lived assets related to stores is evaluated at the individual store level. The results of individual stores may deteriorate based on factors outside the control of the Company, such as the proximity of competitors, shifting retail trade area demographics and other macro-economic factors.


Our impairment loss calculations contain uncertainties because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimated future cash flows and asset fair values, including forecasting useful lives of the assets and selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows.
      We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to assess impairment losses during the past three fiscal years.


We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material charge in the estimates or assumptions we use to calculate long-lived asset impairment losses. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates and assumptions used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to losses that could be material.

Costs Associated With Location Closings

             

 

We lease the vast majority of our stores and other locations under long-term leases and we occasionally vacate locations prior to the expiration of the related lease. For vacated locations that are under long-term leases, we record an expense for the difference between our future lease payments and related costs (e.g., real estate taxes and common area maintenance) from the date of closure through the end of the remaining lease term, net of expected future sublease rental income.


Our estimate of future cash flows is based on historical experience; our analysis of the specific real estate market, including input from independent real estate firms; and economic conditions that can be difficult to predict. We do not discount cash flows in estimating the liability recorded for location closures.
      The liability recorded for location closures contains uncertainties because management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the duration of future vacancy periods, the amount and timing of future settlement payments, and the amount and timing of potential sublease rental income. When making these assumptions, management considers a number of factors, including the historical settlement experience, the owner of the property, the location and condition of the property, the terms of the underlying lease, the specific marketplace demand and general economic conditions.       We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to establish our location closing liability during the past three fiscal years.


A 10% change in our location closing liability at January 28, 2014, would have affected net income by less than $0.1 million in fiscal 2013.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Acquisitions—Purchase Price Allocation

             

 

In accordance with accounting for business acquisitions, we allocate the purchase price of an acquired business to its identifiable assets and liabilities based on estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the amount allocated to the assets and liabilities, if any, is recorded to goodwill, which is assigned to reporting units.       Our purchase price allocation methodology contains uncertainties because it requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities.


Management estimates the fair value of assets and liabilities based upon quoted market prices, the carrying value of the acquired assets and widely accepted valuation techniques, including the income approach and the market approach. Unanticipated events or circumstances may occur which could affect the accuracy of our fair value estimates, including assumptions regarding industry economic factors and business strategies.


We typically engage an independent valuation firm to assist in estimating the fair value of significant assets and liabilities of acquired businesses.


The total amount of goodwill arising from an acquisition may be assigned to one or more reporting units in situations where the acquired business consists of specialty mattress retail operations in multiple regions or when other reporting units are expected to benefit from synergies of the acquisition. The method of assigning goodwill to reporting units is reasonable and supportable and applied in a consistent manner and may involve estimates and assumptions.
      We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to complete the purchase price allocation and estimate the fair values of acquired assets and liabilities for those acquisitions completed in fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.


The amounts of goodwill assigned to reporting units may give rise to goodwill impairment charges in future periods based upon the operating results of the reporting units relative to other reporting units and the resulting effect on the allocation of enterprise value to reporting units for goodwill impairment testing.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Product Warranties

             

 

Pursuant to certain of our negotiated supply agreements we are responsible for manufacturer service warranties and any extended warranties we may offer. The customer is not charged a fee for warranty coverage.


We accrue for the estimated cost of warranty coverage at the time the sale is recognized.
      In estimating the liability for product warranties, we consider the impact of recoverable salvage value on the product received back under warranty. Based upon our historical warranty claims experience, as well as recent trends that might suggest that past experience may differ from future claims, we periodically review and adjust, if necessary, the liability for product warranties.       If our actual claims during the period are materially different than our provision for warranty claims, our results could be materially and adversely affected.


During the past three fiscal years we have not made any material changes to the methodology we use to establish our reserves for warranty claims.


We do not believe that there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to establish our provision for warranty claims. However, if actual warranty claims are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.


A 10% change in our warranty liability at January 28, 2014, would have affected net income by less than $0.5 million in fiscal 2013.

Income Taxes

             

 

Our income tax expense is based on our income, statutory tax rates, and tax planning opportunities available in the various jurisdictions in which we operate.


Deferred tax assets and liabilities are reflected on the balance sheet for temporary differences between the amount of assets and liabilities for financial and tax reporting purposes that will reverse in subsequent years. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are estimated to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in the tax rate is recognized as income or expense in the period that the change is effective. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are more likely than not to be realized.
      Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental tax authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our income tax expense and in evaluating our tax position, including evaluating uncertainties. Management reviews tax positions at least quarterly and adjusts the balances as new information becomes available.       We performed an analysis of all available evidence, both positive and negative, consistent with provision of ASC 740-10-30-17. As of January 28, 2014 we determined that it was more likely than not that the deferred tax assets would be realized.


We do not believe that there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to establish our deferred tax assets and liabilities.

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Description    
  Judgments and Uncertainties    
  Effect if Actual Results Differ From
Assumptions

Stock-Based Compensation

             

 

For all stock-based awards, we measure compensation cost at fair value on the date of grant and recognize compensation expense over the service period in which the awards are expected to vest.


Eligible employees have been granted stock options at an exercise price equal to the grant day closing price of our common stock. A portion of the stock options granted to our employees are subject to a four or five-year time-based vesting schedule, while the remaining portion of the stock options are subject to a four-year market-based vesting schedule, with such vesting based on specified stock price increase targets, as set forth in the option award agreement evidencing the grant of such stock options.


In addition non-employee independent directors and certain of our employees were granted restricted stock with a fair value equal to our closing stock price on the date of grant. The grants to non-employee independent directors vest over one year, while a portion of the restricted stock granted to certain of our employees vest over three years. The remaining portion of the restricted stock granted to our employees are subject to either a four-year time-based vesting schedule or a four-year market-based vesting schedule, with such vesting based on specified stock price increase targets, as set forth in the stock award agreement evidencing the grant of such restricted stock.
      The Company estimates the fair value of stock awards granted pursuant to the Omnibus Plan based upon the nature of the awards. Stock options that vest based upon the passage of time are valued using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which utilizes assumptions for risk-free interest rate, dividend yield, stock price volatility and weighted average expected term. Restricted stock awards that vest based upon the passage of time are valued using the closing market price per share on the date of grant. Stock options and restricted stock awards that include additional market vesting conditions are valued using a Monte Carlo Simulation approach, which utilizes similar input assumptions as the Black-Scholes option pricing model, plus a suboptimal exercise factor. The assumptions involving stock price volatility and stock option term are subject to a higher degree of uncertainty due to the limited period of time that the Company's equity shares have been publicly traded and limited experience with stock option awards. The Company has utilized data of publicly-traded peer companies to provide a reasonable basis for such assumptions and has applied the simplified method as permitted by SAB 107 and SAB 110 in determining the stock option term.       We have not made any material changes in the policy we use to estimate the fair value of stock-based awards and the period over which compensation expense is recognized. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to changes in stock-based compensation expense that could be material.


In addition, if actual results are not consistent with the assumptions used, the stock-based compensation expense reported in our financial statements may not be representative of the actual economic cost of the stock-based compensation. Finally, if the actual forfeiture rates are not consistent with the assumptions used, we could experience future earnings adjustments.


A 10% change in our stock-based compensation expense for the year ended January 28, 2014, would have affected net income by less than $0.5 million in fiscal 2013.

Seasonality

        Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuations and we generally have experienced more sales and a greater portion of income during the second and third quarters of our fiscal year due to a concentration of summer season holidays, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, and other seasonal factors. While we expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future, we also expect that the timing of new store openings and the acquisitions we have made or may make and the timing of those acquisitions may have some effect on the impact of these seasonal fluctuations.

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Summary Disclosures about Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

        The following summarizes certain of our contractual obligations at January 28, 2014 and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands):

 
  Payments Due by Period  
 
  Fiscal
2014
  Fiscal
2015
  Fiscal
2016
  Fiscal
2017
  Fiscal
2018
  Thereafter   Total  

Long-term debt, including principal and interest(1)

  $ 11,961   $ 225,790   $   $   $   $   $ 237,751  

Operating leases(2)

    134,622     119,684     96,568     76,313     59,621     182,901     669,709  

Operating contracts(3)

    1,467     400                     1,867  

Letters of credit(4)

    25     25     25     125             200  
                               

Total

  $ 148,075   $ 345,899   $ 96,593   $ 76,438   $ 59,621   $ 182,901   $ 909,527  
                               
                               

(1)
Future contractual obligations on the 2012 Senior Credit Facility reflect the Company's current interest rate, which is based on LIBOR plus 3.50% on the majority of the outstanding debt balance.

(2)
Does not include certain other expenses required to be paid by the Company under such operating leases, comprised primarily of the Company's proportionate share of common area maintenance, property taxes and insurance. These other expenses have typically amounted to approximately 25% of the base rent expense during recent fiscal years.

(3)
We have certain operating contracts related to sponsorships and space rentals at special event venues.

(4)
We have outstanding letters of credit at January 28, 2014, which expire at varying times through 2017, including $1.7 million that are subject to automatic renewal for an additional one-year period on the anniversary date of the agreement, unless we receive notice from the counterparty that the letter of credit agreement has been terminated at least 30 days prior to the automatic renewal date.

        Our total liability for uncertain tax positions under the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) section 740-10-25 was $0.4 million as of January 28, 2014. During the next fiscal year, unrecognized tax benefits are expected to remain unchanged. At this time, we do not expect a payment related to these obligations within the next year. See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

        We do not have any "off-balance sheet arrangements" (as such term is defined in Item 303 of Regulation S-K) that are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Item 7A.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

        Interest Rate Risk.    Our earnings are affected by changes in interest rates due to the impact those changes have on our interest expense on borrowings under the 2012 Senior Credit Facility with interest rates that vary in direct relationship to changes in the prime interest rate or LIBOR. Our floating rate indebtedness was approximately $219.1 million at January 28, 2014. If short-term floating interest rates increased by 100 basis points during the prior twelve months, our interest expense would have increased by approximately $2.3 million during that year. This amount is determined by considering the

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impact of the hypothetical change in interest rates on our average amount of floating rate indebtedness outstanding and cash equivalent balances for fiscal 2013.

        Impact of Inflation.    We believe that inflation has not had a material impact on our results of operations for any fiscal year during the three-year period ended January 28, 2014. We cannot be sure that inflation will not have an adverse impact on our operating results or financial condition in future periods.

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Item 8.    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Mattress Firm Holding Corp.
Houston, Texas

        We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of January 28, 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended. Our audit also included the financial statement schedules listed in the Index at Item 15. These consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules based on our audit. The consolidated financial statements of the Company for the years ended January 29, 2013 and January 31, 2012, were audited by other auditors whose report, dated April 1, 2013, expressed an unqualified opinion on those statements.

        We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and subsidiaries as of January 28, 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such financial statement schedules, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

        As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has elected to change its method of accounting for inventory from the First-In, First-Out cost flow method to the Weighted Average cost flow method in the year ended January 28, 2014.

        We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of January 28, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 26, 2014 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

March 26, 2014
Houston, Texas

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Mattress Firm Holding Corp.
Houston, Texas

        We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of January 28, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

        We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company's board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

        Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

        In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 28, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

        We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules as of and for the year ended January 28, 2014 of the Company and our report dated March 26, 2014 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and financial statement schedules and included an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company's adoption of a change in accounting for inventory from the First-In, First-Out cost flow method to the Weighted Average cost flow method.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

March 26, 2014
Houston, Texas

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Stockholders of
Mattress Firm Holding Corp.

        We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of January 29, 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended January 29, 2013. Our audits of the basic consolidated financial statements included the financial statement schedules listed in the index appearing under Item 15. These financial statements and financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedules based on our audits.

        We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and subsidiaries as of January 29, 2013, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended January 29, 2013 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

Houston, Texas
April 1, 2013

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 
  January 29,
2013
  January 28,
2014
 
 
  (in thousands, except share amounts)
 

Assets

             

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 14,556   $ 22,878  

Accounts receivable, net

    26,246     20,812  

Inventories

    63,228     81,507  

Deferred income taxes

    3,710     4,729  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    18,855     16,348  
           

Total current assets

    126,595     146,274  

Property and equipment, net

    144,612     174,770  

Intangible assets, net

    82,479     84,391  

Goodwill

    358,978     366,647  

Debt issue costs and other, net

    12,015     12,549  
           

Total assets

  $ 724,679   $ 784,631  
           
           

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

             

Current liabilities:

             

Notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt

  $ 33,930   $ 3,621  

Accounts payable

    64,642     72,165  

Accrued liabilities

    41,106     42,435  

Customer deposits

    8,012     9,318  
           

Total current liabilities

    147,690     127,539  

Long-term debt, net of current maturities

    219,069     217,587  

Deferred income taxes

    26,800     37,921  

Other noncurrent liabilities

    63,624     73,092  
           

Total liabilities

    457,183     456,139  
           

Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)

             

Stockholders' equity:

   
 
   
 
 

Common stock, $0.01 par value; 120,000,000 shares authorized; 33,795,630 shares issued and outstanding at January 29, 2013; and 34,002,981 and 33,990,381 shares issued and outstanding at January 28, 2014, respectively

    338     340  

Additional paid-in capital

    365,083     373,153  

Accumulated deficit

    (97,925 )   (45,001 )
           

Total stockholders' equity

    267,496     328,492  
           

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

  $ 724,679   $ 784,631  
           
           

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 
  Fiscal 2011   Fiscal 2012   Fiscal 2013  
 
  (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
 

Net sales

  $ 703,910   $ 1,007,337   $ 1,216,812  

Cost of sales

    428,018     614,572     751,487  
               

Gross profit from retail operations

    275,892     392,765     465,325  

Franchise fees and royalty income

    4,697     5,396     5,617  
               

    280,589     398,161     470,942  
               

Operating expenses:

                   

Sales and marketing expenses

    167,605     245,555     289,533  

General and administrative expenses

    51,684     73,640     82,964  

Intangible asset impairment charge

        2,100      

Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets

    759     1,050     1,499  
               

Total operating expenses

    220,048     322,345     373,996  
               

Income from operations

    60,541     75,816     96,946  
               

Other expense:

                   

Interest expense, net

    29,301     9,247     10,864  

Loss from debt extinguishment

    5,704          
               

    35,005     9,247     10,864  
               

Income before income taxes

    25,536     66,569     86,082  

Income tax (benefit) expense

    (8,815 )   26,698     33,158  
               

Net income

  $ 34,351   $ 39,871   $ 52,924  
               
               

Basic net income per common share

  $ 1.40   $ 1.18   $ 1.56  

Diluted net income per common share

  $ 1.40   $ 1.18   $ 1.55  

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

    24,586,274     33,770,779     33,870,461  

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

    24,586,274     33,853,276     34,131,456  

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 
  Common Stock    
   
  Total
Stockholders'
Equity
(Deficit)
 
 
  Additional
Paid-In
Capital
  Accumulated
Deficit
 
 
  Shares   Par Value  
 
  (in thousands, except share amounts)
 

Balances at February 1, 2011

    22,399,952   $ 224   $ 156,241   $ (172,147 ) $ (15,682 )

Public offering of common stock, net of costs

    6,388,888     64     110,382         110,446  

Issuance of common stock upon conversion of PIK notes

    2,774,035     28     52,680         52,708  

Issuance of common stock upon conversion of Convertible Notes

    2,205,953     22     41,891         41,913  

Stock-based compensation

            523         523  

Net income

                34,351     34,351  
                       

Balances at January 31, 2012

    33,768,828     338     361,717     (137,796 )   224,259  

Retirement of residual Mattress Holdings, LLC shares

    (57 )                

Exercise of common stock options

    26,859         510         510  

Stock-based compensation

            2,856         2,856  

Net income

                39,871     39,871  
                       

Balances at January 29, 2013

    33,795,630     338     365,083     (97,925 )   267,496  

Exercise of common stock options

    158,563     2     3,025         3,027  

Excess tax benefits associated with stock-based awards

            692         692  

Vesting of restricted stock

    48,788                  

Purchase of vested stock-based awards

    (12,600 )       (493 )       (493 )

Stock-based compensation

            4,846         4,846  

Net income

                52,924     52,924  
                       

Balances at January 28, 2014

    33,990,381   $ 340   $ 373,153   $ (45,001 ) $ 328,492  
                       
                       

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 
  Fiscal
2011
  Fiscal
2012
  Fiscal
2013
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                   

Net income

  $ 34,351   $ 39,871   $ 52,924  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash flows provided by operating activities:

                   

Depreciation and amortization

    17,450     23,507     29,498  

Interest expense accrued and paid-in-kind

    20,575          

Loan fees and other amortization

    2,530     2,361     2,207  

Loss from debt extinguishment

    5,704          

Deferred income tax expense (benefit)

    (11,271 )   17,131     12,349  

Stock-based compensation

    523     2,856     4,846  

Intangible asset impairment charge

        2,100      

Loss on store closings and impairment of store assets

    324     894     1,499  

Construction allowances from landlords

    3,562     5,567     5,464  

Effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities, excluding business acquisitions:

                   

Accounts receivable

    (6,852 )   (5,350 )   6,168  

Inventories

    (10,555 )   (15,714 )   (15,964 )

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    (1,306 )   (3,616 )   2,901  

Other assets

    (2,914 )   (3,219 )   (3,049 )

Accounts payable

    13,159     9,324     3,183  

Accrued liabilities

    9,333     1,389     (1,401 )

Customer deposits

    1,518     (218 )   840  

Other noncurrent liabilities

    5,544     1,855     1,976  
               

Net cash provided by operating activities

    81,675     78,738     103,441  
               

Cash flows from investing activities:

                   

Purchases of property and equipment

    (34,356 )   (68,604 )   (55,546 )

Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired

    (7,958 )   (63,051 )   (8,833 )
               

Net cash used in investing activities

    (42,314 )   (131,655 )   (64,379 )
               

Cash flows from financing activities:

                   

Proceeds from issuance of debt

    40,198     56,000     72,000  

Principal payments of debt

    (145,231 )   (36,983 )   (105,966 )

Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of costs

    110,446          

Proceeds from exercise of common stock options

        510     3,027  

Excess tax benefits associated with stock-based awards

            692  

Purchase of vested stock-based awards

            (493 )

Debt issuance costs

    (1,273 )        
               

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

    4,140     19,527     (30,740 )
               

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

    43,501     (33,390 )   8,322  

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

    4,445     47,946     14,556  
               

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

  $ 47,946   $ 14,556   $ 22,878  
               
               

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

        Business—Mattress Firm Holding Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is engaged in the retail sale of mattresses and bedding-related products in various metropolitan markets in the United States through company-operated and franchisee-owned mattress specialty stores that operate primarily under the name Mattress Firm. Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiaries are referred to collectively as the "Company" or "Mattress Firm."

        Initial Public Offering—On November 23, 2011, the Company completed the initial public offering of 6,388,888 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $19.00 per share pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-174830), which was declared effective on November 17, 2011. The Company raised a total of $121.4 million in gross proceeds in the initial public offering or approximately $110.4 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $8.5 million and $2.5 million of offering-related costs.

        On November 23, 2011, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the initial public offering as follows: (i) $88.8 million to repay in full all amounts outstanding under the 2009 Loan Facility (see Note 12); (ii) $4.6 million to repay in full the Company's PIK Notes that did not convert into shares of the Company's common stock upon the completion of the initial public offering (see Note12); and (iii) $1.6 million to pay accrued management fees and interest thereon and a related termination fee to J.W. Childs Associates, L.P. in connection with the termination of the management agreement between J.W. Childs Associates, L.P. and the Company that became effective with the completion of the initial public offering. The remaining net proceeds after payment of other estimated costs associated with the initial public offering, were retained by the Company for working capital and general corporate purposes.

        Furthermore, in connection with the consummation of the initial public offering, (i) Convertible Notes with an aggregate principal and accrued interest balance of $41.9 million were converted into 2,205,953 shares the Company's common stock at a price per share equal to the initial public offering price, and (ii) the PIK Notes that were not repaid with net proceeds from the initial public offering, with an aggregate principal and accrued interest balance of $52.7 million, were converted into 2,774,035 shares of the Company's common stock at a price per share equal to the initial public offering price (see Note 13).

        Ownership—As of January 28, 2014, J.W. Childs Equity Partners III, L.P. owns 16.4 million shares (approximately 48%) of the common stock of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. and is the controlling stockholder. Prior to the initial public offering, the Company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattress Holdings, LLC, which was majority owned by JWC Mattress Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company managed by J.W. Childs Associates, Inc. ("J.W. Childs"). Mattress Holdings, LLC had various minority owners including certain members of the Company's management (together with J.W. Childs, the "Equity Owners"). On September 27, 2012, Mattress Holdings, LLC distributed its holdings of Mattress Firm Holding Corp. common stock to the Equity Owners and was subsequently dissolved.

        Basis of Presentation—The accompanying financial statements present the consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year consolidated statements of cash flows to segregate the cash proceeds related to construction allowances from landlords from the previously reported cash activity that was included as components of the changes in accounts receivable and noncurrent liabilities to conform to the current period financial statement presentation with no effect on our

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

previously reported net cash provided by operating activities. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

        Fiscal Year—The Company's fiscal year consists of 52 or 53 weeks ending on the Tuesday closest to January 31. Each of the fiscal years ended January 31, 2012 ("Fiscal 2011"), January 29, 2013 ("Fiscal 2012") and January 28, 2014 ("Fiscal 2013") consisted of 52 weeks.

        Accounting Estimates—The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of (i) assets and liabilities, (ii) disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and (iii) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates that are more susceptible to change in the near term are the accruals for sales returns and exchanges, product warranty costs, asset impairments and store closing costs.

        Fair Value Measures—The amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate their respective fair values due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

        The FASB has issued guidance on the definition of fair value, the framework for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities, and disclosure regarding fair value measurements. The guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. These tiers include:

    Level 1: Defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

    Level 2: Defined as pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures.

    Level 3: Defined as pricing inputs that are unobservable from objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management's best estimate of fair value.

        The Company measures the fair value of its nonqualified deferred compensation plan on a recurring basis. The plan's assets are valued based on the marketable securities tied to the plan. Additionally, the Company measures the fair values of goodwill, intangible assets, and property and equipment on a nonrecurring basis if required by impairment tests applicable to these assets.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        Assets requiring recurring or non-recurring fair value measurements consisted of the following (in thousands):

 
  Net Book Value as of January 29, 2013   Fair Value Measurements    
 
 
  Fiscal 2012 Impairments  
 
  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  

Nonqualified deferred compensation plan (Note 13)

  $ 1,138   $   $ 1,138   $   $  

Intangible assets requiring impairment review (Note 4)

  $ 786   $   $   $ 786   $ 2,100  

Property and equipment requiring impairment review (Note 3)

  $   $   $   $   $ 156  

 

 
  Net Book Value as of January 28, 2014   Fair Value Measurements    
 
 
  Fiscal 2013 Impairments  
 
  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  

Nonqualified deferred compensation plan (Note 13)

  $ 1,353   $   $ 1,353   $   $  

Property and equipment requiring impairment review (Note 3)

  $ 321   $   $   $ 321   $ 464  

        The significant Level 3 unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company's intangible assets and property and equipment were (i) the weighted average cost of capital ("WACC") and (ii) the royalty rate related to intangible trade names. Increases (decreases) in WACC inputs in isolation would result in a lower (higher) fair value measurement. Increases (decreases) in the royalty rate inputs in isolation would result in a higher (lower) fair value measurement. Fair value measurements may be determined by independent third parties.

        The following tables are not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather provide a summary of the significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company's Level 3 assets in which impairment testing was performed.

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MATTRESS FIRM HOLDING CORP.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

    Impairment testing performed as of January 29, 2013

Valuation Technique
  Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
  Unobservable
Input Range

Intangible Asset Impairment Testing

       

Income approach

  WACC(1)   15.5% - 17.5%

Income approach

  Royalty rate   0.5% - 1.5%

Property and Equipment Impairment Testing

 

 

 

 

Income approach

  WACC(1)   13.5%

    Impairment testing performed as of January 28, 2014