Report: New owners of BuyBuy Baby and Harmon plot store returns

Two bankrupt brands whose stores have all gone dark may yet live to see another day in brick-and-mortar — one in a big way. 

The new owner of BuyBuy Baby is planning a return to physical retail as is the new owner of Harmon, reported CNBC. Baby goods company Dream on Me purchased the intellectual property of BuyBuy Baby in July in a deal that did not include the retailer’s stores, which have all gone dark.  But that may soon change. 

Dream on Me chief marketing officer Avish Dahiya told CNBC that the company plans to reopen 11 stores in the Northeast as soon as this fall. And that’s just the start: Dream on Me envisions opening 100 to 120 stores during the next one to three years

“We believe omnichannel is critical for the success of the business and stores play a role, so it’s important that we have stores come in sooner than later,”  Dahiya told CNBC.

Dream on Me plans to revamp the BuyBuy Baby store experience, with smaller stores, areas to test out certain products, and a focus on experiences, community building and learning, according to the report. 

 The company has named Bed Bath & Beyond (the former owner of BuyBuy Baby) veteran Glen Cary as chief stores officer. Most recently, from 2021 to 2023, he served as COO of 99 Cents Only Stores. Prior to that, he spent about 20 years at Bed Bath & Beyond, include some 14 years at BuyBuy Baby.

Harmon

In January, Bed Bath & Beyond announced it was closing its Harmons health and beauty stores, about 50 locations in all. Investor Jonah Raskas subsequently bought the intellectual property rights for Harmon. He plans to reopen five of the chain’s best-performing locations in New York and New Jersey, hopefully by year-end, reported CNBC.

“Everyone loves a comeback story and everyone loves to come back to something that they thought was gone and now is back again,” Raskas told CNBC.

To read the full CNBC story, click here.