Iconic retailer Bed Bath & Beyond has resurfaced more than two years after collapsing under bankruptcy. With a slightly new name, the outlet is making headlines after making a fiery statement about not opening brick-and-mortar stores in a liberal stronghold.
The brand has returned under the name Bed Bath & Beyond Home in Nashville, Tennessee, with plans to open 75 retail outlets — albeit with smaller stores — across the nation, according to a report by Today.
While this may be small in comparison to the previous 300 locations before bankruptcy, the company is making one thing clear: They will not be returning to the biggest liberal stronghold.
‘Even when the state announces a budget surplus, it’s built on the backs of ordinary citizens.’
Marcus Lemonis, executive chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond, released a scathing letter about how California has made business conditions miserable.
“We will not open or operate retail stores in California,” Lemonis bluntly wrote. “This decision isn’t about politics — it’s about reality.”
The Camping World CEO called California one of the most “overregulated, expensive, and risky environments” for American businesses that makes it difficult to employ people and keep doors open.
For years, retailers have complained about California’s relaxed laws that allowed shoplifting to go unpunished, with stores being ravaged of their merchandise on a consistent basis. In November 2024, voters approved to make shoplifting a felony, which has seemingly made a difference in terms of petty theft, but not regulation.
“[California has] higher taxes, higher fees, [and] higher wages that many businesses simply cannot sustain, and endless regulations that strangle growth,” the chairman said in his statement.
Lemonis assured buyers and investors that his company is “taking a stand” for common sense while creating jobs that last and giving customers fair prices.
“California’s system delivers the opposite,” he declared.
Still, Lemonis said Californians could get his company’s products through 24-to-48-hour delivery of online sales, a statement that was immediately met with pushback.
One X user replied, “What a fancy backhanded way to say that being an online retailer is a better business than being a brick and mortar retailer.”
Lemonis retorted by saying Bed Bath & Beyond would have “stores in almost every other state,” just not California.
The return of the company marks a new revitalization in the retail industry, as consumers increasingly look for enthralling experiences in their shopping. At the same time, the BBB chairman claimed that California does not seem concerned about the average citizen.
“Even when [California] announces a budget surplus, it’s built on the backs of ordinary citizens who are paying too much and businesses who are squeezed until they break.”
With that mentality, Bed Bath & Beyond said it would still honor the recognizable “20% off” coupons that some say tanked the business, but this time with new restrictions.
According to Fox News, the coupons can be used only once and cannot be combined with other offers. Previously, they never expired and could be used endlessly.
Bed Bath & Beyond opened as a private business in 1971 before going public in 1992.
In 2022, former CFO Gustavo Arnal died by suicide after jumping off New York’s Tribeca skyscraper, aka the “Jenga” tower, per Reuters.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The post Bed Bath & Beyond returns, but refuses to reopen in one blue state appeared first on TheBlaze.
