June 8, 2026
C5Media/Depositphotos.com
Will a Price Reset and Store Refreshes Give Bed Bath & Beyond / The Container Store Any Momentum?
With the combined Bed Bath & Beyond / The Container Store concept edging along a “phased integration” which was initially kicked off in late April — across 98 former The Container Store locations — that integration plan is now being accelerated to include a significant price reset, as Chain Store Age noted.
The slated price reset will be wide-ranging, with thousands of SKUs being involved and reductions averaging up to 25%, according to sources. CSA quoted Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Marcus Lemonis on the nature of the discounting.
“This is not a promotion, a temporary sale or a marketing event. It is a deliberate move to better align our prices with the value our customers deserve,” Lemonis stated.
The combined concept stores saw an early example of the co-branding effort open in Fort Worth, Texas, in May.
“The new concept combines The Container Store’s organizing solutions, design services and expertise with Bed Bath & Beyond’s home essentials, resulting in a ‘more complete home destination’ for consumers,” CSA detailed.
Reaction to the movie appeared to be quite positive on the co-branded social media accounts, with a few users chiming in to say how enthused they were about being able to declutter their homes on a budget and that accessibility and affordability were always welcome at the retail level.
Not everyone was so pleased, however, with one user saying that Bed Bath & Beyond would add a bland note to a previously well-curated Container Store experience. A second critic indicated that they were sad about the collaboration, as “BBB is junky and cluttered. CS is aspirational and elevated.”
These moves follow an ongoing stabilization effort helmed by Lemonis, with Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. seeing relatively strong performance within its Q1 report card, issued April 27. That quarterly report outlined net revenue of $248 million (the first quarter of significant revenue growth in nearly five years), gross profit of $59 million, and a net less of $16 million — the latter metric a $24 million improvement YoY.
“Our first quarter results show that the work we’ve been doing to stabilize and rebuild the business is taking hold,” Lemonis said at the time.
“Our improving results and strategic advancements, including our most recent announcement to acquire The Container Store, Elfa and Closet Works will
position us well to deliver long-term shareholder value aligned to our Everything Home 3 pillar ecosystem,” he added.
BrainTrust
Pamela Kaplan
Principal, PK Consulting
Doug Garnett
President, Protonik
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Will a major, long-lasting price reset and store refreshes be enough to convince shoppers to stick with the BBB-Container Store co-brand? Is anything missing in the retail recipe here?
If you were to advise Lemonis and his executive/board as to what next initiative needs to be central for the company’s stabilization and success, what would that look like?
Do you believe that BBB and The Container Store share natural synergy, or are the critics on social media correct?
Poll
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I am usually a little skeptical of price reductions as a mechanism to revive a brand. However, in the case of The Container Store, that move is much needed. Before bankruptcy, our consumer data consistently showed very low value for money perceptions – something that drove customers into the arms of other retailers. The problem was twofold: the lack of a good price architecture with strong opening price points, and too many functional, utilitarian items that could not justify their elevated prices. Correcting this will help, but it needs to be teamed with making TCS/BBB a compelling destination – which is the more difficult nut to crack.
BBB and The Container Store brands still have value in the market, and the combination makes for a potentially attractive proposition for consumers. While progress is slow, it is being made and the financial results reflect that. If I were advising current management, I would say to keep it simple and hold true to the best elements of both brands being combined. I do agree that there is a natural and logical connection between the brands and if executed well, it stands a good chance of continuing to gain market traction.
Any momentum ?? That’s a pretty low threshold – hint: the answer is always “yes” – so perhaps we should refine that to “Sufficient” momentum.
And here, unfortunately the pendulum swings disturbingly towards “no”: the two brands in their (not so distant) past had all kinds of problems, from disorganized stores to questions as to whether they even had any relevance. Price cuts, while they can’t hurt – at least from a customer’s POV – aren’t enough to overcome those kind of existential issues.
If CS customers thought item were pricey for the value received… then “reductions averaging up to 25%” could seal the original thought in mind. Yes, prices were higher than they could have been.
BB&B customers have been highly trained for couponing.. so price is paramount to them.
Remains to be seen: HOW the brands are arriving that “up to 25% off”… cheaper quality, supply chains of questionable human rights or eco standards? The production costs of all plastics and then transportation of merchandise… those are both shaky on macro levels.
The combined price resets and store refreshes will create customer trial, but operational execution, merchandising strategy and communication must feel updated, compelling, and centered around hand-off of home solutions between the brands – not a mishmash. If former customers walk in to more of the same feel with just twice as much product, it will be mental overload, maybe even off-putting to either brand loyalist. If I could advise executive/board leadership on one thing, is that in some markets look carefully at demographics and housing supply, and have some store sites which lead primarily/only with either the TCS or BBB brand (not both) to find optimum traction with customers.
If the business can withstand a 25% price reduction across most SKUs, were the SKUs overpriced to start? Store refreshes address what stores? How many stores are there in operation? It has been the opinion of industry pundits that the problem with both businesses has been a departure from the concepts that the founders envisioned and, in fact, created. Who is going to take up that challenge? Pricing? Store revamps? Doubtful.
As a consumer, that is a thought I have… “can withstand a 25% price reduction across most SKUs, were the SKUs overpriced to start”
From the business side… I assume quality or staffing could be about to suffer.
I actually have walked into a Container Store and commented on the high prices, so I like this move.
Those who think Bed Bath & Beyond merchandise will automatically junk up The Container Store need to be a little more objective. BBB products will be integrated into Container Store locations, not dumped onto the sales floor. The stores aren’t known for being junky, cluttered, or bland, and there’s no reason to assume that will suddenly change. Let’s give Marcus Lemonis and his team a chance before we start raining on their parade.
Irony for container stores to become un-contained
What Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store need more than anything right now is clarity.
Industry insiders understand the restructuring and ownership changes, but many consumers don’t. Before customers buy into the new concept, the company needs to communicate what has changed, why it matters, and why it’s worth another look.
Price resets and store refreshes alone won’t solve an identity problem. Organizing solutions, design services, and home essentials sound logical together, but that alone doesn’t create a compelling retail concept. Success will come from solving a real customer problem, delivering a great experience, and giving customers a compelling reason to choose this brand.
Communicating the ‘Why’ solves so many things. They need to heavy up on that messaging, and then prove it.
This feels like a pretty logical approach. The price reductions help generate interest and drive traffic, while the store refreshes focus on the experience once shoppers are in the door. In the long run, the in-store experience will probably have a bigger impact on whether that momentum lasts.
I am not optimistic for this combination — although Lemonis has a track record of interesting successes. Inherently, though, BBBY failed because there simply weren’t reasons to go shop there. I know The Container Store less clearly, but from their excellent beginning they, also, failed to stock products which mattered. The last few visits to a Container Store were more frustrating than helpful.
All lower prices will do is get people to test out the stores. The only way they’ll succeed, though, is if they have goods which matter to people — and can make these combined stores a good destination for shopping.
What I’ve heard so far doesn’t make me optimistic — although I would love to see something arrive from the combination.
Two brands in one space make sense only when they share a common customer mission. BBB failed because shoppers could find its product mix everywhere else. The Container Store failed because shoppers loved the concept but balked at the price. These are different diagnoses requiring different prescriptions.
Lemonis has quietly assembled the right asset base to answer both. Elfa, Closet Works, and TCS design services together can own the full arc from space assessment to custom installation to everyday replenishment. That is a solutions stack Amazon and Walmart cannot easily replicate. The strategic risk is now executional, not conceptual. If design services and installation lead the store experience, he has a defensible destination. If they get buried behind a product wall, he has an oversized home goods aisle.
The ingrediants for success are all present. But so are the ingrediants for confusion and disarray and failure. It’s certainly not as simple as putting an over-assorted BBBY and over-priced Container Store all under one roof. This will take some very skilled editing and curating. The range of solutions they’ll be able to offer could be amazing, but it will take restraint and focus for it all to make sense to the customer. And, hopefully, one day they will come up with a great single brand name to pull it all together.
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I am usually a little skeptical of price reductions as a mechanism to revive a brand. However, in the case of The Container Store, that move is much needed. Before bankruptcy, our consumer data consistently showed very low value for money perceptions – something that drove customers into the arms of other retailers. The problem was twofold: the lack of a good price architecture with strong opening price points, and too many functional, utilitarian items that could not justify their elevated prices. Correcting this will help, but it needs to be teamed with making TCS/BBB a compelling destination – which is the more difficult nut to crack.
BBB and The Container Store brands still have value in the market, and the combination makes for a potentially attractive proposition for consumers. While progress is slow, it is being made and the financial results reflect that. If I were advising current management, I would say to keep it simple and hold true to the best elements of both brands being combined. I do agree that there is a natural and logical connection between the brands and if executed well, it stands a good chance of continuing to gain market traction.
Any momentum ?? That’s a pretty low threshold – hint: the answer is always “yes” – so perhaps we should refine that to “Sufficient” momentum.
And here, unfortunately the pendulum swings disturbingly towards “no”: the two brands in their (not so distant) past had all kinds of problems, from disorganized stores to questions as to whether they even had any relevance. Price cuts, while they can’t hurt – at least from a customer’s POV – aren’t enough to overcome those kind of existential issues.
If CS customers thought item were pricey for the value received… then “reductions averaging up to 25%” could seal the original thought in mind. Yes, prices were higher than they could have been.
BB&B customers have been highly trained for couponing.. so price is paramount to them.
Remains to be seen: HOW the brands are arriving that “up to 25% off”… cheaper quality, supply chains of questionable human rights or eco standards? The production costs of all plastics and then transportation of merchandise… those are both shaky on macro levels.
The combined price resets and store refreshes will create customer trial, but operational execution, merchandising strategy and communication must feel updated, compelling, and centered around hand-off of home solutions between the brands – not a mishmash. If former customers walk in to more of the same feel with just twice as much product, it will be mental overload, maybe even off-putting to either brand loyalist. If I could advise executive/board leadership on one thing, is that in some markets look carefully at demographics and housing supply, and have some store sites which lead primarily/only with either the TCS or BBB brand (not both) to find optimum traction with customers.
If the business can withstand a 25% price reduction across most SKUs, were the SKUs overpriced to start? Store refreshes address what stores? How many stores are there in operation? It has been the opinion of industry pundits that the problem with both businesses has been a departure from the concepts that the founders envisioned and, in fact, created. Who is going to take up that challenge? Pricing? Store revamps? Doubtful.
As a consumer, that is a thought I have… “can withstand a 25% price reduction across most SKUs, were the SKUs overpriced to start”
From the business side… I assume quality or staffing could be about to suffer.
I actually have walked into a Container Store and commented on the high prices, so I like this move.
Those who think Bed Bath & Beyond merchandise will automatically junk up The Container Store need to be a little more objective. BBB products will be integrated into Container Store locations, not dumped onto the sales floor. The stores aren’t known for being junky, cluttered, or bland, and there’s no reason to assume that will suddenly change. Let’s give Marcus Lemonis and his team a chance before we start raining on their parade.
Irony for container stores to become un-contained
What Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store need more than anything right now is clarity.
Industry insiders understand the restructuring and ownership changes, but many consumers don’t. Before customers buy into the new concept, the company needs to communicate what has changed, why it matters, and why it’s worth another look.
Price resets and store refreshes alone won’t solve an identity problem. Organizing solutions, design services, and home essentials sound logical together, but that alone doesn’t create a compelling retail concept. Success will come from solving a real customer problem, delivering a great experience, and giving customers a compelling reason to choose this brand.
Communicating the ‘Why’ solves so many things. They need to heavy up on that messaging, and then prove it.
This feels like a pretty logical approach. The price reductions help generate interest and drive traffic, while the store refreshes focus on the experience once shoppers are in the door. In the long run, the in-store experience will probably have a bigger impact on whether that momentum lasts.
I am not optimistic for this combination — although Lemonis has a track record of interesting successes. Inherently, though, BBBY failed because there simply weren’t reasons to go shop there. I know The Container Store less clearly, but from their excellent beginning they, also, failed to stock products which mattered. The last few visits to a Container Store were more frustrating than helpful.
All lower prices will do is get people to test out the stores. The only way they’ll succeed, though, is if they have goods which matter to people — and can make these combined stores a good destination for shopping.
What I’ve heard so far doesn’t make me optimistic — although I would love to see something arrive from the combination.
Two brands in one space make sense only when they share a common customer mission. BBB failed because shoppers could find its product mix everywhere else. The Container Store failed because shoppers loved the concept but balked at the price. These are different diagnoses requiring different prescriptions.
Lemonis has quietly assembled the right asset base to answer both. Elfa, Closet Works, and TCS design services together can own the full arc from space assessment to custom installation to everyday replenishment. That is a solutions stack Amazon and Walmart cannot easily replicate. The strategic risk is now executional, not conceptual. If design services and installation lead the store experience, he has a defensible destination. If they get buried behind a product wall, he has an oversized home goods aisle.
The ingrediants for success are all present. But so are the ingrediants for confusion and disarray and failure. It’s certainly not as simple as putting an over-assorted BBBY and over-priced Container Store all under one roof. This will take some very skilled editing and curating. The range of solutions they’ll be able to offer could be amazing, but it will take restraint and focus for it all to make sense to the customer. And, hopefully, one day they will come up with a great single brand name to pull it all together.