Bed Bath & Beyond is returning to the retail scene, co-opting space within The Container Store locations.
The retailer, which retreated to an online-only format at Overstock.com three years ago, will be available at 12 Container Stores in California, five in Southern California.
The news comes just eight months after the company’s executive chairman, Marcus Lemonis, declared Bed Bath & Beyond would not open or operate retail stores in California.
“This decision isn’t about politics — it’s about reality,” Lemonis wrote on Aug. 20. “California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America. It’s a system that makes it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom was quick to welcome back the company, issuing a statement Thursday touting California’s nation-leading economy.
“There’s a lot of profit to be made in California — and we’re thrilled that Bed, Bath & Beyond is opening stores in the Golden State and taking advantage of the benefits of the world’s fastest-growing economy. Welcome to California!” Newsom said.
California has ranked as the fifth-largest economy in the world for a decade and is on track to move up a notch this year, according to an analysis by Southern California News Group business columnist Jonathan Lansner.
So, why the switch now for Bed Bath & Beyond? The parent company in early April bought The Container Store for $150 million. Since then it’s been preparing to reconfigure 98 stores nationwide with the popular BBB products.
In an announcement Thursday, The Container Store said it was launching a chainwide “store changing” event on Friday, April 24. To make room for Bed Bath & Beyond line, the retailer is liquidating “30% of select categories” from Container Store shelves.
Eventually, the 98 stores will be reconfigured to a The Container Store + Bed Bath & Beyond format, what the company is calling its “future operating model.”
Southern California combo formats are coming to:
Costa Mesa: 901-G South Coast Drive (next to South Coast Plaza)
El Segundo: 710 S Sepulveda Boulevard (Plaza El Segundo)
Los Angeles: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 218 (Westfield Century City)
Woodland Hills: 21949 Ventura Boulevard (Gateway Plaza)
San Diego: 7097 Friars Road (Fashion Valley)
Bed Bath & Beyond closed its 360 brick-and-mortar locations in 2023 after filing for bankruptcy. The closures affected some 14,000 employees at the time.
The company, founded in 1971, grew to be one of the nation’s biggest retailers. Experts said its demise was not about competition but more about the company’s poor financial decisions, according to a Bloomberg report.
Other California stores converting to the combo model:
Elsewhere in California:
San Francisco: 555 Ninth Street
San Jose: 3080 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Suite 1000
San Mateo: 3020 Bridgepointe Parkway
Walnut Creek: 1100 Locust Street
Palo Alto: 500 Stanford Shopping Center
Corte Madera: 219 Corte Madera Town Center
Sacramento: 2030 Arden Way
