Buybuy Baby bounces back from Bed Bath & Beyond bankruptcy

Buybuy Baby has new parents, and they’re letting it play outside again.

The retailer is making a comeback: Its new owner, Dream On Me, announced it will reopen more than 100 stores over the next few years. Parent company Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April—the culmination of a years-long struggle that included inventory and leadership issues.

• Buybuy Baby’s new owner also plans to expand internationally and open smaller-footprint locations.
• CEO Pete Daleiden told the Wall Street Journal that the company hopes to strike a balance between online and IRL shopping, while attempting to remain competitive with larger retailers such as Target and Walmart, which have encroached on the company’s turf.
• It will heavily rely on its in-store employees during its resurgence.

“Having our experts in the store assist, take the time to demonstrate products, give good recommendations and sound advice…the ability to provide that support online is limited,” Daleiden said.

As for Bed Bath & Beyond, a number of other retailers including Barnes & Noble, Burlington, and Michaels are gobbling up the company’s old spaces, many of which were “auctioned off as part of the bankruptcy proceedings,” according to CNN.

• Overstock.com has now taken up the Bed Bath & Beyond moniker; it officially changed its name to Beyond Inc. the same day it ousted CEO Jonathan Johnson.
• Prior to his departure, Johnson told Retail Brew that Overstock was in the midst of a transition from liquidator to furniture retailer that included poaching Bed Bath & Beyond customers.

“We really felt like we took market share from Bed Bath & Beyond in the second half of last year and in the first quarter of this year by focusing on products that their customers want and need, and then continuing to be a smart value high-low retailer that speaks to the Bed Bath & Beyond customer,” Johnson told us.