Sleep Country USA LLC, a Kent, Wash.-based mattress retailer that now operates more than 80 stores across western Washington and Oregon, has acquired the assets of Spokane-based The Mattress Outlet Inc.

The acquisition, which included 14 Mattress Outlet stores in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, was finalized late last month, says Mike Estes, Kent-based regional vice president for Sleep Country. He declines to disclose the terms of that transaction.

Estes says those existing stores will be converted to the Sleep Country brand before the end of the year. He adds that all former Mattress Outlet employees—about 40 people—were offered the option to keep their jobs as part of the acquisition and have opted to continue with Sleep Country.

The Mattress Outlet operated stores in Spokane, Ellensburg, Yakima, Wenatchee, Richland, Kennewick, Moses Lake, Lewiston, and Coeur d'Alene, says a press release announcing the acquisition.

Those stores included three in Spokane, all located along north Division Street, plus one in Spokane Valley and one in Coeur d'Alene, The Mattress Outlet's website shows.

Estes says Mattress Outlet has carried mattresses manufactured by Serta and Tempur-Pedic. Sleep Country sells both of those brands, he says, along with mattresses by Sealy, Simmons, and Stearns & Foster. The company plans to introduce those three lines to the newly acquired stores, he says.

Customers won't notice any changes to The Mattress Outlet stores right away, Estes says, but he says Sleep Country plans soon to begin making changes to the newly acquired stores to align with its brand image, including new signage and decor.

Estes says he's not sure at this time of how large of a financial investment that company will make to complete those changes. He says some of the stores likely will require slight upgrades, such as new paint and carpet, while others could undergo more extensive remodeling.

Sleep Country USA was founded 20 years ago, and in addition to its acquisition of The Mattress Outlet, a press release says the company plans to soon open new stores in Lacey and Tumwater, Wash., near the state's capitol.

Sleep Country USA is not affiliated with the mattress retailer Sleep City, which is owned by a Missoula, Mont.-based company called Sleep Shoppe Inc. That company operates stores in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and Coeur d'Alene, as well other cities throughout Western Montana and Eastern Washington, its website shows.