Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.

The ax has fallen at Bed, Bath & Beyond as part of the realignment of its .store management structure.    The retailer said it has initiated in approximately half of its U.S. Bed Bath & Beyond stores and about a dozen of its buybuy Baby stores a limited realignment of its store management organization that will result in the elimination of about 880 department and assistant store manager positions.   

A wholesale club giant beats out specialty retailers to rank as the nation's favorite home furnishings retailer.    Costco Wholesale Corp. is ranks first among consumers when it comes to home furnishings, according to a study by Market Force Information. With a composite loyalty score of 72%, Costco earned the top spot. But Ikea was a close second, with a score of 70%.    

Bed, Bath & Beyond, which missed sales and earnings expectations for its first quarter, is focusing online for growth.   Citing strong digital growth, CEO Steven Temares said on the chain's quarterly earnings call that he expects store closings to increase as leases expire and as the way customers shop continue to evolve.  

When shoppers talk about brands, they usually do it offline.   That’s according to a study by Engagement Labs that measured the performance of 60 brands with respect to social media and word of mouth conversations. Amazon came out on top in the retail and apparel category, followed by Nike and Nordstrom.   

Inland Real Estate, the Oak Brook, Illinois, acquisition machine headed by Joe Cosenza, has purchased another center to keep the acquisition tote board on its website churning past $44 billion.   Its latest purchase is the 199,335-sq.-ft. Pentucket Shopping Center in Plaistow, New Hampshire, 40 miles north of Boston. The center houses Home Depot, Staples, and Bed Bath & Beyond and is shadow-anchored by a Super Walmart.  

Online home furnishings and decor retailer One Kings Lane is set to open its first store, a summer pop-up.   The 3,500-sq.-ft. space will be located in the upscale resort town of Southampton, New York. It will be open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, and offer an “immersive lifestyle experience,” the company said.  

Shelby Crossings, a 76,390-sq.-ft. power center in the Detroit suburb of Utica, has been acquired by Beverly Hills, Michigan-based Grand Management & Development.   Mid-America Real Estate Corp., which represented the seller in the transaction, could not disclose the price.   The property features the Bed Bath & Beyond subsidiaries Christmas Tree Shops and BuyBuy Baby, and is surrounded by a larger regional center anchored by Target and Planet Fitness.

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After three quarters of missing analyst estimates, Bed Bath & Beyond’s fourth quarter ended on a high note, and beat expectations.