Oh, no!
Bed Bath & Beyond, the store for seemingly everything in your home during the 1990s and 2000s, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday.
“Thank you to all of our loyal customers. We have made the difficult decision to begin winding down our operations,” a statement at the top of the company’s website said Sunday morning.
The company’s 360 Bed Bath & Beyond locations, along with its 120 buybuy BABY stores, will remain open for now, as will websites. The company secured a $240 million loan to help fund its operations during bankruptcy.
But store closing sales will begin Wednesday, and Bed Bath & Beyond will close some stores. Just how many – or what happens to its 14,000 employees –depends on what happens next.
A bankruptcy filing does not necessarily mean that a company is going out of business. Many major US companies have filed for bankruptcy, using it to shed debt and other costs they could no longer afford. But even if Bed Bath and Beyond does emerge from bankruptcy, its future is not guaranteed.
The company said it would seek to sell some or all of its business. If it’s able to find a buyer, Bed Bath & Beyond will halt store closings. But if a buyer doesn’t come forward, Bed Bath & Beyond will likely be liquidated entirely and go out of business.
It’s also possible the company could emerge from bankruptcy as an online-only retailer, said Neil Saunders, an analyst at GlobalData Retail.
“Ultimately, if it emerges from bankruptcy at all, Bed Bath & Beyond will be a shadow of its former self,” he said.
Bed Bath & Beyond had been a crown jewel of the era of so-called “category killers” — chains that dominated a category of retail, such as Toys “R” Us, Circuit City and Sports Authority. Those companies, too, ultimately filed for bankruptcy as shoppers turned away from huge specialty stores in favor of online options like Amazon. – CNN
CD
Well, in the US. It is 20/4 in other countries. Of course I can't celebrate it in Texas.
