Texas bedding retailer opens 2nd store in Cedar Rapids, 8th in Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS -- The Iowa franchisee of Mattress Firm, a Texas-based bedding and accessories retailer, has opened a second store in Cedar Rapids.

Dave Eisenbraun, co-owner and managing partner of eight Mattress Firm stores in Iowa, said the most recent store opened Saturday in Edgewood Station, 2300 Edgewood Rd. SW.  The 6,000-square-foot store on the perimeter of Westdale Mall is slightly larger than a Mattress Firm store that opened in late October at 4701 First Ave. SE.

Mattress Firm of Houston, Texas, sells mattresses, box springs, bed frames and accessories. The retailer does not sell bedroom furniture.

Eisenbraun said the newest Cedar Rapids Mattress Firm store will sell the Sealy Posterpedic, Serta iComfort, Temper-Pedic and Hampton & Rhodes brands of bedding.

"We are considered a mattress specialty shop," Eisenbraun said. "We also sell pillows and protective mattress covers, but primarily we sell mattresses and foundations.

"We have stores in Ankeny, Des Moines, Urbandale and West Des Moines. We're always looking for good locations in other parts of the state, but it will primarily depend on the availability and cost of real estate, which were factors when we chose Edgewood Station."

Eisenbraun, who moved his family back to Iowa after working in Texas, said each store employs about two people. He said delivery is handled out of Des Moines, including pickup, setup and disposal of a customer's old mattrerss.

"Our goal at Mattress Firm is to continue growing as a national brand and become the first border to border mattress and foundation retailer," Eisenbraun said.

Mattress Firm operates over 800 locations -- including about 250 franchise stores -- across 26 states with plans to continue to grow. The publicly-traded company began in 1986 and by 2002 owned and operated approximately 250 locations across the United States.

Mattress Firm is expecting 2011 net revenue to be in the range from $690 million to $695 million, compared with net revenue of $494 million for fiscal 2010 that ended Feb. 1, 2011. The company previouslyprojected net revenue ranging from $685 million to $690 million for fiscal 2011.

Mattress Firm said its improved guidance reflects stronger-than-anticipated net revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.