![]() ![]() Often featuring solid colors, rather than fashion prints, the retailer could pack-and-hold any unsold inventory until the following year knowing it would be just as saleable then. It also offered specific products geared for the college student, including twin XL bedding, a size really only used in dormitories. Its previous scale allowed the company to provide this service without additional shipping and storage costs, but with only a third as many stores this year, it will presumably lose some of that business to the likes of Target (with almost 2,000 stores nationwide) and Amazon Prime (with free one-day shipping that doesn’t require even a stop at the store).īut it wasn’t just logistics that helped the company get business. One of Bed Bath & Beyond’s business strengths was its “buy-here, ship-there” service allowing college-bound students to go to their local store, make their purchases and then pick up the order at the store near their college. For the rest of the year, the bank’s research showed retailers like Costco, Macy’s and Arhaus gaining share in the home furnishings space, though we’ve yet to see how this will play out in the college market. It’s likely the back-to-dorm subset would show similar gains and losses (although not specified in the new survey). A new study by Bank of America shows that Amazon, Wayfair and Target gained the most market share in home furnishings products since 2019, each gaining 1 percent, while Bed Bath & Beyond declined 4 percent. The company’s diminished role in the back-to-dorm sector-by this fall, the brand will have as few as 360 stores, down from 1,000 locations just a few years ago-reflects the overall shifting of market share in the home furnishings space. Now, with Bed Bath & Beyond’s ongoing deconstruction and possible impending bankruptcy filing or liquidation, other retailers are eyeing the business, vendors say, with a few expressing (off the record) surprise that more aren’t going after the college furnishings business. It’s a role the brand has dominated since the 2008 demise of its archrival, Linens N’ Things, which also excelled in the space. Other retailers like Target, Kohl’s andWalmart, and more recently Amazon, have also been significant sellers, but Bed Bath & Beyond has long seemed to be the first choice for college students and their credit-card-carrying parents. Obviously, a highly seasonal business with a very tight selling period, it was also highly lucrative for retailers that knew how to manage the buying, inventory and marketing required to be successful. The market for college student furnishings was estimated to be $10.5 billion in 2022, according to Statista. While hard market share numbers are hard to come by, those in the trade generally concur that the big-box chain is probably the largest player in the business of furnishing college dormitories with sheets, towels, storage containers, small appliances and other assorted campus paraphernalia. One of the few things that Bed Bath & Beyond continued to do well long after the majority of its merchandising strategy had descended into chaos was its back-to-dorm business. ![]()
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