Buy Buy Baby (stylized buybuy BABY) was an American big-box retail chain selling clothing, strollers, and other items for use with infants and young children. At its peak, it operated 137 stores across the United States. It was a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., headquartered in Union, New Jersey, and closed all remaining stores following Bed Bath & Beyond's bankruptcy in 2023. Dream On Me bought 11 store leases via bankruptcy auction and has announced an intention to reopen stores.
History
Buy Buy Baby was founded in 1996 by Richard and Jeffrey Feinstein, sons of Bed Bath & Beyond co-founder Leonard Feinstein. The first location opened in Rockville, Maryland, in May 1996. The chain consisted of eight stores when it was acquired by Bed Bath & Beyond in 2007 for $67 million. Its primary competitor was Babies "R" Us, prior to that chain's closure in 2018.
Bankruptcy and liquidation
As its parent experienced financial distress in the early 2020s, Buy Buy Baby was initially largely unaffected. However, in January 2023, the company announced the closure of five Buy Buy Baby locations, alongside the liquidation of sister chain Harmon Face Values. The following month, Bed Bath & Beyond announced the company's withdrawal from Canada; all eleven Buy Buy Baby stores in Canada were closed by that April.
On April 23, 2023, Bed Bath & Beyond officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, and announced that it would be winding down its operations. All remaining Buy Buy Baby stores began liquidation sales on April 27, with the last stores closing on July 30, 2023.
Efforts to sell the chain continued until July, with no adequate bids submitted. In June 2023, a $15.5 million sale of the chain's name and intellectual property to New Jersey-based Dream On Me was confirmed. Dream on Me also bought the leases to 11 Buy Buy Baby stores, which it plans to reopen, followed by up to 120 stores within three years. Buy Buy Baby's website is also expected to reopen.
Revival
On October 25, 2023, Buy Buy Baby announced they would be reopening four former New Jersey locations. Those include Paramus, Cherry Hill, Bridgewater and Iselin, which are slated to open on November 18. The Buy Buy Baby website is slated to be open by the end of the month.