Tempur Sealy

(Bloomberg) Tempur Sely International Inc. was cleared and acquired mattress companies for $ 4 billion.

The US District Court Judge Charles Eskridge ruled on Friday that it was conducive to these companies, but he said that it was not until February 7 that they could reach a transaction so that the regulatory agency would consider appeal. The ruling was a major failure for FTC, and the ruling increased the anti -Toras law enforcement under the leadership of the Biden government.

Eskridge did not explain his ruling. He proposed a ruling under the sealed on the grounds that confidentiality and proprietary information told him his reasoning. He said in the public document of the announcement of the order that the edit version of the complete decision on Tuesday.

Tempur Sely is the world’s largest mattress manufacturer with top brands, including Tempur-Porturepedic, Stearns & Foster. The mattress company is owned by South African retailer Steinhoff International Holdings NV and has more than 2,300 stores in 49 states.

FTC filed a lawsuit to prevent the transactions in July, thinking that the acquisition of violations of anti -Torais laws and will reduce the choice of American mattress buyers.

The agency claims that Tempur Sely will be able to prevent competitors such as Serta Simmons Bedding LLC and resident HOME LLC from selling nectar brands to prevent them from distributing in the mattress company store. The two companies believe that online sales will help replace any competition lost after the merger.

Tempur Sely said that the decision was “satisfied” about it. In a statement, the company said: “Although FTC continues to work hard to stop the transaction, we will do everything to close as soon as possible.”

FTC did not immediately return to the comment request. The agency can appeal on Friday’s decision to appeal to the Court of Appeal Court of the Fifth American Circuit in the United States.

In recent years, FTC has strengthened different anti -Toras law enforcement. The agency lost challenges to the acquisition of Microsoft Corp. on Activision Blizzard Inc., but successfully prevented Illumina Inc. purchase of Startup Grail.

The case was the Federal Trade Commission’s complaints of Tempur Sely, 24 CV-20508, the United States District Court, and South District of Texas (Houston).

(Update with company comments.)

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