Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announced that its Board of Directors approved the planned closure of approximately 200 mostly Bed Bath & Beyond stores over the next two years as part of the Company's real estate optimization program.
In an SEC filing the company said that at this initial stage of the program, a reasonable estimate of the amount or range of amounts expected to be incurred in connection with these restructuring activities, both with respect to each major type of cost associated therewith and with respect to the total cost or estimated range of total cost, or an estimate of the amount or range of amounts that will result in future cash expenditures, cannot be made at this time. The Company will disclose this information as soon as it is in a position to provide estimates or range of estimates as required by this Item.
Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond’s President and CEO said, “The impact of the COVID-19 situation was felt across our business during our fiscal first quarter, including loss of sales due to temporary store closures and margin pressure from the substantial channel shift to digital. From the beginning of this crisis, we have taken measured, purposeful steps to help keep our people safe and our customers serviced, and we are proud of the way our teams have navigated this unprecedented challenge with speed and agility. At the same time, our actions to strengthen our financial position and liquidity are enhancing our flexibility and capacity to invest and rebuild our business for long-term success.
“With nearly all stores now open, we are delighted to welcome back our customers and drive an enhanced omni-always shopping experience. We are encouraged by early customer response, including continued strong demand, in excess of 80%, across our digital channels during the month of June, bolstered by the expansion of our Buy-Online-Pick-Up-In-Store (BOPIS) and Curbside Pickup services. We believe Bed Bath & Beyond will emerge from this crisis even stronger, given the strength of our brand, our people and our balance sheet,” Tritton added.