Bed Bath & Beyond Brookfield Store Is Closing

BROOKFIELD, WI— Bed Bath & Beyond will close its store in Brookfield this fall. The location at 605 Main Street is among 63 locations nationwide the housewares chain said it would shutter by the end of this year. The Brookfield location is the only Wisconsin store listed.

The story was first reported on Friday by USA Today. 200 stores will close over the next two years.

Bed Bath & Beyond's senior manager for public relations, Jessica Joyce, called the move "an important step in our multi-year program to create a sustainable, durable business and invest where it matters most to our digital-first customers and our people."

Even before boutiques and malls were shut down by the coronavirus outbreak, traditional brick-and-mortar establishments saw a nosedive in revenue and popularity with the emergence of e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart.

Earlier this year, before the coronavirus outbreak, Bed Bath & Beyond closed 40 stores around the country. In July, the New Jersey-based home goods giant, whose sister stores include World Market, buybuyBaby and Harmon Face Values, said it planned to close about 200 stores in the next few years. The locations announced Friday are the first wave of those closings.

As it sunsets more brick-and-mortar operations, the retailer will be amping up its online presence. "This includes the launch of an exciting array of customer-inspired owned brands in 2021, along with new omnichannel services that provide faster, more convenient shopping like Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store, Curbside Pickup and same-day delivery," according to Joyce.

Other chains that are closing some or all of their Maryland stores include Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Kmart, Motherhood Maternity, Dressbarn and more.

The parent company of clothing retailers including Justice, Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor, LOFT, Catherine's and Cacique filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and announced plans to close about half its 2,800 stores, including 76 Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lou & Grey stores, more than 600 Justice stores and all Catherine's plus-size clothing store locations.

Deb Belt, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.