It’s been a long goodbye for retailer BuyBuy Baby, which once again is closing all its stores just a year after declaring bankruptcy. The company said it’s shifting to online-only and is shuttering all 10 remaining locations before the end of the year.
“[We are] transforming into a digital-first brand, focusing all our energy on providing an exceptional online shopping experience,” the baby-focused retailer said in a statement on its website. “This decision comes after listening closely to you, our incredible customers, and our valued partners. Your feedback has been invaluable in shaping this new chapter.”
BuyBuy Baby, which sells baby gear, furniture, clothes, and toys, added it was a “difficult decision and wasn’t a choice we took lightly.”
All in-store sales are now final. Customers can still use gift cards at store locations until October 31. After that, gift cards must be redeemed online at buybuybaby.com.
Which store locations are closing?
Here are the 10 remaining stores, which are located from Massachusetts to Virginia:
- Braintree, MA
- Scarsdale, NY
- Bridgewater, NJ
- Cherry Hill, NJ
- Iselin, NJ
- Paramus, NJ
- Rockville, MD
- Christiana, DE
- West Hartford, CT
- Springfield, VA
How did this happen?
Last year, BuyBuy Baby was forced to shutter about 120 brick-and-mortar stores as part of parent company Bed Bath & Beyond’s ongoing bankruptcy liquidation. It spun off BuyBuy Baby’s intellectual property and trademark rights to Dream On Me Industries for $15.5 million, which hoped to re-open 100 BuyBuy Baby stores. (Clearly, it was unable to make that dream come true.)
Just as BuyBuy Baby is closing down, Bed Bath & Beyond kitchen, bath, and bedroom products are returning to stores. Bed Bath & Beyond products will be coming to 102 locations of the Container Store, the retailer said.
Is all of this sounding familiar? BuyBuy Baby’s situation is quite similar to what happened to Babies “R” Us, after its parent company Toys “R” Us went out of business. Like BuyBuy Baby, Babies “R” Us had a failed in-store comeback, which ultimately resulted in Kohl’s selling its baby-focused products in its 200 stores.