Bed Bath & Beyond Closings: Will Georgia Locations Be Affected?

ATLANTA, GA — Struggling housewares retailer Bed Bath & Beyond — known for selling all types of kitchen gadgets plus bed linens, towels and home decor — will close about 40 stores this year while opening 15 "lab" stores offering more home decor and food products, the company said this week. The number of stores to be shuttered could increase if more favorable lease agreements can't be reached with some of its landlords, company officials said in a conference call.

During the call, company reps disclosed disappointing first-quarter sales. Based in New Jersey, the company also operates Buy Buy Baby and World Market.

Bed Bath & Beyond has not revealed which locations will be shuttered. The company has 1,024 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, including 27 locations in Georgia:

• Alpharetta
• Athens
• Atlanta
• Augusta
• Brunswick
• Buford
• Canton
• Columbus
• Cumming
• Douglasville
• Duluth
• Fayetteville
• Gainesville
• Kennesaw
• Lithonia
• Macon
• Marietta
• McDonough
• Peachtree City
• Savannah
• Snellville
• Suwanee
• Valdosta
• Warner Robins

Brick and mortar retailers in the Atlanta metro continue to announce closings in 2019 with some citing poor holiday 2018 sales figures and others blaming debt loads for the shutdowns. We're less than four months into the year, and already several big-name retailers have announced their plans to shutter Georgia locations.

Chains closing up shop include clothing retailers, shoe stores, department stores and more. The bleak outlook for many chain retailers isn't new — in 2018 dozens of chains closed stores, including, most notably, Toys R Us and Sears.

SEE ALSO: Retail Apocalypse Means Dozens Of GA Store Closings In 2019

Eric Heyl, Patch Staff, contributed to this article