Bed Bath & Beyond Says It Won’t Operate Stores in ‘Overregulated' California

The company chairman claims the state is too expensive and risky for the home goods retailer to open or reopen stores.

Customers shop at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Forest Park, Ill., on Jan. 5, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The chairman of the resurrected home goods chain Bed Bath & Beyond announced on Aug. 20 that the company would not open or operate retail stores in California, calling it overregulated, expensive, and risky.

“This decision isn’t about politics—it’s about reality,” company head Marcus Lemonis said in a social media post. “California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America. It’s a system that makes it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers.”