--- title: Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? You may feel pretty lonely - The Hustle description: "Overstock aims for housewares dominance behind its new, well-worn name: Bed Bath & Beyond." image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1248390843-19-News-Brief_2023-08-20T225804.606Z.webp --- # Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? You may feel pretty lonely ![Sidd Finch](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/siddfinch-1.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=siddfinch-1.jpg) [Sidd Finch](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/sidd-finch) [Sidd Finch Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/TheHustle) Published: August 24, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Playing into people’s sense of nostalgia for something is usually a winning strategy. But it sure helps when people are, y’know, actually nostalgic for that thing. ![Bed Bath & Beyond search interest over time](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1248390843-19-News-Brief_2023-08-20T225804.606Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1248390843-19-News-Brief_2023-08-20T225804.606Z.webp) The retailer formerly known as Overstock is staking its future on the idea that people are clamoring for the once-dead Bed Bath & Beyond. To recap, [per](https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-08-10/bed-bath-beyond-relaunch-lacks-nostalgia-factor?srnd=premium&sref=3Ac2yX40) *Bloomberg*: - In April, Bed Bath & Beyond went bankrupt, shuttering all stores. - In June, Overstock dropped $21.5m for the decrepit husk of the Bed Bath & Beyond brand. - This month, Overstock rebranded to Bed Bath & Beyond. #### **Is this gonna work?** We’ll see, but Overstock — with its business [down 20%](http://investors.overstock.com/news-releases/news-release-details/overstock-announces-second-quarter-2023-financial-results) YoY in Q2 — can’t be blamed for trying. Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson said he thought his company “had a good operating model but a bad name” while “Bed Bath & Beyond had a great name but a bad operating model,” [per](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/01/overstock-bed-bath-beyond-rebrand/) *The Washington Post*. - It’ll be, Johnson told *Bloomberg*, a “match made in retail heaven.” But this ignores the fact that Bed Bath & Beyond spent years in decline. In 2021, the brand scored its lone bright spot of the last decade when the home goods chain [became a memestock](https://slate.com/business/2023/04/bed-bath-beyond-bankrupt-stocks-retail-dumb.html). That didn’t translate to a sustainable business either — that same year, Bed Bath & Beyond lost [~5m customers](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bed-bath-beyonds-customer-base-has-dropped-by-5-million-since-2021-11649953415) from its once-loyal fan base. #### **What happens next?** It’s early, so the jury remains out. Maybe we’ll be eating crow — served on some 20%-off dinnerware — and the rebranded retailer will bounce back. But for now, we can assign one loser in all of this: original Bed Bath & Beyond stockholders. - Last month, it was confirmed they’ll be “left empty-handed,” [per](https://www.thestreet.com/memestocks/other-memes/bed-bath-beyond-stock-bbbyq-will-shareholders-lose-everything-) *The Street*. **Some solace: **Being empty-handed is bad, but nothing could feel worse than spending [~$29](https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Home-Garden/4-Piece-Cat-Oven-Mitt-Pot-Holder-Towels-Kitchen-Set-8.75-x-0.25-x-8/36761542/product.html?option=71716150) to cover your hand in a “Life is better with cats” oven mitt. 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Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sidd Finch", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/sidd-finch" }, "datePublished" : "2023-08-24T00:24:51.000Z", "headline" : "Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? 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