Infographic: How Mattress Firm and Poundland fit into Steinhoff's jigsaw

The South African retail conglomerate already employs more than 90,000 people across 6,500 stores in 30 countries, raking in an operating profit of R15.3m (£860m) in the year ended June 30 2015.

However, Steinhoff has been on the acquisition trail in a bid to grow that further and, after missing out on Sainsbury’s and French electricals retailer Darty, it is now on the verge of adding a different pair of retailers to its stable.

Retail Week looks at how Poundland and Mattress Firm fit into Steinhoff’s growing business portfolio.

Steinhoff’s general merchandise division stretches across 20 countries, employing almost 40,000 workers across more than 4,100 shops. The latter number could smash through the 5,000 barrier should it complete a deal for Poundland.

Steinhoff is aggressively rolling out its Pep&Co value fashion fascia in the UK, opening its first 50 stores within a 50-day period

The South African conglomerate’s operations in this sector comprise the businesses under the banner of Pepkor Group, which sells everything from clothing and footwear to household goods and accessories.

The division generates around 61% of its revenue in the discount segment and 35% in the value segment, making Poundland an obvious fit for the business.

Steinhoff is aggressively rolling out its Pep&Co value fashion fascia in the UK, opening its first 50 stores within a 50-day period.

Pepkor is hoping to replicate the success of Pepco, which operates a similar business model, after it enjoyed success in Eastern Europe and now trades from more than 700 stores.

The recent launch of its GHM! (Guess How Much!) chain will further add to its credentials in the value sector, even if it fails to snap up Poundland.

Mattress Firm

Steinhoff revealed today that it had agreed to buy Mattress Firm – a deal that would see it enter the US market for the first time.

Its biggest brand in this sector, Conforama, operates across three fascias and it attempted to add Darty to this list earlier this year, but lost out to Fnac in the bidding war.

Despite that defeat, Steinhoff already owns 24 homewares brands in 20 countries and remains keen on adding to that total.

But the conglomerate’s acquisition of Mattress Firm should have no significant impact its UK businesses Bensons for Beds and Harveys.

Mattresses are usually produced locally and Steinhoff prides itself on being a vertically integrated business. In the UK, for example, it produces around 1,800 mattresses a day at plants in Cambridgeshire and Somerset.

Therefore, despite Mattress Firm’s size, sister retailers across the pond are unlikely to benefit from synergies.