Kroger, Bed Bath & Beyond enter into in-store, online pilot
Kroger customers will soon be able to buy Bed, Bath & Beyond home and baby products on the grocery giant’s online site and in select stores.
The Kroger Co. and Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. have entered into a strategic partnership to offer Kroger customers an extensive selection of the “most sought-after” home and baby products carried by Bed Bath & Beyond through a small-scale physical store pilot at select Kroger stores and online beginning in 2022. The multi-category collaboration will include popular items — from bedding and storage to baby furniture and gear — from Bed Bath & Beyond and its buybuy Baby subsidiary. The assortment will include Bed Bath & Beyond’s exclusive owned bands as well as national ones.
Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy Baby products will launch on Kroger.com by early 2022. The e-commerce venture will be enabled by the Kroger Ship marketplace. A branded shop-in-shop experience pilot in select stores will follow.
[Read more: Kroger adopts online marketplace model similar to Amazon, Walmart]
"Kroger is a leader in fresh food and innovation," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger chairman and CEO. "Every day, we look for new and differentiated ways and experiences to meet our customers evolving needs and elevate and celebrate the moments that matter most to our customers. As an illustration, Bed Bath & Beyond has a compelling portfolio of products that complement the items our customers already love to shop. This strategic online collaboration and in-store pilot will provide Kroger shoppers easy access to essential home and baby products alongside their favorite grocery staples – continuing to fulfill our commitment of providing our customers with anything, anytime, anywhere."
Kroger operates nearly 2,800 stores under a variety of banners that include Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Floors 4 Less, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and others.
Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond president and CEO, said that the company’s collaboration with an “exceptional retailer like Kroger” underscores the chain’s authority in the home and baby categories.
"Today's announcement is a key milestone, bringing Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy Baby products to reach more customers than ever before,” Tritton said. “Our product assortment combined with Kroger's customer base will present extensive opportunities for current and future customers."