2.5 minutes

The decision to not open new Bed Bath & Beyond stores is based on disagreements with California's regulatory environment and other factors, according to the company's executive chairman.

The Bed Bath & Beyond brand is back, but the retailer plans to only sell from its website in California.

An Aug. 20 announcement explicitly states that it will not open stores in the state, citing regulatory concerns among other factors.

“We will not open or operate retail stores in California,” stated Marcus Lemonis, executive chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond.

The decision came as the company rebrands itself from Beyond Inc. to Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., changing its ticker symbol to BBBY on the New York Stock Exchange as of Aug. 29.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. ranks No. 73 in the Top 2000 Database. The Digital Commerce 360 database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. There, the retailer appears in the Housewares & Home Furnishings category. Digital Commerce 360 projects Bed Bath & Beyond’s total online sales in 2025 will reach $1.25 billion.

Beyond web sales by year

Why Bed Bath & Beyond is not opening stores in California

“This decision isn’t about politics — it’s about reality,” said Lemonis in his public statement. “California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America.”

Lemonis went on to claim that conditions in California make “it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers.”

Instead, the retailer plans to focus on sales to California through its ecommerce website.

How Bed Bath & Beyond will sell to California customers

In announcing the Beyond rebrand to Bed Bath & Beyond, Lemonis previously noted that the company would focus on “improvements in our asset-light BedBathandBeyond.com platform.”

That website will still cater to California-based shoppers, even if the company remains averse to establishing a physical presence.

“Instead, we are investing in a California strategy that works: 24–48-hour delivery, and in many cases, same-day service,” Lemonis said. “Californians will continue to get the products they love through BedBathandBeyond.com — but without the inflated costs created by an unsustainable model.”

The last of 41 previous Bed Bath & Beyond stores in California closed in 2023 when Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy. Ultimately, Overstock acquired Bed Bath & Beyond’s assets and later rebranded to become Beyond Inc., the entity that will now operate as Bed Bath & Beyond. The Utah-based company still owns Overstock, as well as the Buy Buy Baby brand.

Beyond also reached a deal in May to acquire Kirkland’s intellectual property. Subsequently, Kirkland’s announced plans to rebrand under the name The Brand House Collective.

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