Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. is launching a national franchise system to step up the brick-and-mortar return of Bed Bath & Beyond following the recent opening of the chain’s first store since its 2023 bankruptcy.
BB&B Inc. said in a statement that a franchise model will allow it to operate a smaller footprint of corporate stores while ensuring that the chain “extends its reach, touching nearly every major community in America.”
In August, through its partnership with Kirkland’s Home (which BB&B Inc. now owns), Bed Bath & Beyond’s two-year absence from brick-and-mortar ended with the opening of the first Bed Bath & Beyond Home store in Nashville, Tenn. That store was formerly a Kirkland’s Home location that was converted to the new BB&B format, and over the next two years all Kirkland’s Stores will be converted into Bed Bath & Beyond Home banners.
Those corporate owned-stores will be operated by The Brand House Collective, former owner of the Kirkland’s Home brand. Over that same time period, Brand House also will be bringing back stores for two other brands in the BB&B Inc. portfolio — BuyBuy Baby and Overstock.
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And now, franchisees will have the opportunity to add to BB&B Inc.’s growing store fleet. “Our goal is to grow Bed Bath and Beyond in the most capital-efficient manner,” said Marcus Lemonis, Executive Chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. in a statement. “This system enables local owners to deliver personal service and local flavor while leveraging our national infrastructure, marketing and technology.”
Bed Bath & Beyond Franchises to Feature Turnkey Formats, Tokenization Opportunities
BB&B franchise locations will feature turnkey formats of a traditional Bed Bath & Beyond, including Home, Kitchen Living and Storage & Organization areas, as well as a Holiday Shoppe, all designed with what BB&B Inc. describes as a “neighborhood feel.” Approximately 80% of each store’s assortment will be curated by Bed Bath & Beyond, with 20% localized by franchisees to highlight regional products and designers.
Franchisees will share in the economics of BedBathandBeyond.com in an effort to unify the in-store and online customer experiences. They also will have access to digital tokenization capabilities through the tZero platform (in which BB&B Inc. owns a significant stake), allowing them to democratize ownership of the store and raise capital through the offering of digital securities.
In addition to owning a growing portfolio of retail banners, BB&B Inc. also has been building out its blockchain asset portfolio, beginning with the April 2025 offering of digital tokens that allowed investors to own a piece of the IP and performance of the Overstock and BuyBuy Baby brands. Bringing Bed Bath & Beyond franchisees into this mix furthers Lemonis’ ambition to shift the company into “an affinity and data monetization model,” thereby becoming less reliant on traditional retail for success.
In its announcement, BB&B Inc. presented the tokenization opportunity as a complement to, and potential replacement for, traditional Small Business Administration (SBA) financing, “giving franchisees more flexibility to raise capital and engage local investors through digital infrastructure.”
Real-Time Analytics will Give Franchisees the Same ‘Agility as a National Retailer‘
Franchisees will have access to Bed Bath & Beyond’s suite of AI-powered tools and data analytics capabilities, helping them to forecast demand, manage inventory, and optimize merchandising and staffing decisions based on real-time insights.
Dashboards that measure promotional effectiveness, pricing performance and local market trends will be made available to franchisees to help them drive higher sales, reduce waste and enhance customer engagement through data-driven decisions. “This approach ensures that every franchise owner operates with the same intelligence and agility as a national retailer, while still maintaining local authenticity,” according to the company statement.
“Our team, led by Ron Taylor, VP of Franchise Development, is collaborating with Amy Sullivan from the Retail Omnichannel Organization; Tom Spadea, Co-founder of Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys; and Brian Luciani, Chief Growth Officer at SMB Franchise Advisors,” Lemonis added. “Together, they will provide franchisees with expert guidance, operational support and oversight to ensure brand standards and execution remain consistent nationwide.”
Interested entrepreneurs can contact franchise@beyond.com for details on becoming a Bed Bath & Beyond franchisee.
