Shoppers walk past a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Bed Bath & Beyond withdrew its fiscal 2019 outlook on Wednesday, saying that it would reveal its strategic plans in early 2020.
With a new CEO at the helm, there has been plenty of shake-up at Bed Bath & Beyond in recent weeks. Mark Tritton, who left Target to take over the leadership position at the beginning of November, has wasted no time to embark on his own turnaround plans.
On Monday, the company announced it had completed a real estate deal with an affiliate of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, netting it $250 million in proceeds. It sold roughly 2.1 million square feet of commercial real estate, which includes stores, office space and a distribution center, to the firm and will lease it back. Tritton described the transaction as marking “the first step toward unlocking valuable capital” at Bed Bath & Beyond.
He’s also cleaning house. In December, Tritton ousted six senior executives — in the midst of the holiday shopping season — including the retailer’s chief merchandising officer, marketing officer, digital officer, its general counsel and chief administrative officer.
Bed Bath & Beyond has come under heightened pressure and sales have slumped as businesses such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have appealed more to consumers with speedier shipping and stronger websites, as they sell many of the same items that Bed Bath & Beyond has traditionally offered in its stores. Bed Bath & Beyond, which also owns Buy Buy Baby and Christmas Tree Shops, has roughly 1,500 locations in total.
The company said this week that it continues to work with outside financial advisors to review its real estate and determine the best uses “to optimize its asset base and enhance shareholder value.”
Bed Bath & Beyond shares, which trade around $16.70, are up about 38% from a year ago. It has a market value of $2.1 billion.
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