From a Multi-Million Marketing Budget to Personal Business Impact: Andrey’s Return

Matrack AD is one of the leading distributors of sleep products in Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the owner of the largest online store for sleep products in the region, with a presence in five markets.The business, with brands like iSleep, Magniflex, matraci.bg, Sleepy, and Onesleep.com, has been operating for 20 years (less than 5% of businesses in Bulgaria reach this milestone). Despite the maturity of the company and the market itself, Matrack has demonstrated impressive growth, tripling its revenue from 12 million to 36 million BGN between 2020 and 2024.

If we met your business as a person on the street, how would it introduce itself?

Good sleep, along with nutrition and sports, is one of the most important foundations for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I help you sleep better because great sleep = great day.

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Tell us about a moment when you had to close one door to open another. What made you take that step?

I was the Global Head of Digital Marketing at Johnnie Walker, one of the world’s most iconic brands, with multi-billion-dollar sales and a multi-million marketing budget… every marketer’s dream.
I chose to return to Bulgaria after 20 years away. I realized that: 1) I wanted to be closer to the people I love, and 2) I wanted to have a real business impact.

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Tell us about a moment when someone lent you a hand without expecting anything in return, and it changed something significant for you. What happened, and why do you remember it?

My boss at Johnnie Walker supported my pitch to the company’s leadership team about sponsoring Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport. He told me that he would tweak the text and format slightly but wanted me to present it exactly as I envisioned it.
I remember this because it made me realize how important it is for a leader to give their people wings, even when they feel the urge to tweak something.

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Tell us about a moment when you stopped, looked around, and thought: "Yes, this is exactly why I started!" When was it, and what did you feel?

I became CEO of the family business on March 1, 2020. By March 13, the Covid lockdown hit, and on March 14, our sales dropped by 70%.
Four years later, our revenue has tripled, and our team has never been more motivated and happier at work. I realized this when two customer service employees told me:
"Andrey, we are living in the golden era of the company."

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If someone were to make a comedy series about your business, which scene must be in the first episode?

That time when we handed out branded measuring tapes to customers and partners with the slogan: "Do you know your size?"
We did it because many customers were ordering the wrong mattress sizes.