60-year-old retailer closes over 240 locations across 35 states
Key takeaways
- "There are millions of people who had purchased these brands, who grew up with some of these brands.
- Bed Bath & Beyond also filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and closed its remaining stores, ending one of the most familiar names in American home retail, according to court filings on PacerMonitor.
- It was later acquired out of bankruptcy by Overstock.com for $21.5 million, an online retailer, which rebranded its online presence under the classic name.
Circuit City, Toys R Us, Lord & Taylor, Sharper Image, FAO Schwarz, American Apparel, The Limited, and more have closed their doors, gone through a bankruptcy, then re-emerged with new owners as a digital retailer, a product line, or in rare cases, opening new stores.
"There are millions of people who had purchased these brands, who grew up with some of these brands. That equity means someone buying the brand out of bankruptcy, or some other crisis, can have instant name recognition for a different venture — be it a label or e-tailer or catalog company," NPD Group Chief Industry Analyst Marshal Cohen told Retail Dive.
Now, after a series of deals that have brought a number of well-known retail names under one owner, the company has decided to drop the name on its over-250 brick-and-mortar locations and replace it with a version of its corporate name, Bed Bath & Beyond.