Bed Bath & Beyond Cutting 880 Store Management Positions
Bed Bath & Beyond has sped up a plan to “realign” its store management structure, resulting in a reduction of about 880 department and assistant store manager positions. "These actions accelerate a transition in store management roles that began more than a year ago through store hiring practices and attrition," the company said in a statement. "There are no further reductions planned in connection with this realignment.” Bed Bath & Beyond said the organizational changes are estimated to generate annual pre-tax savings of approximately $16 million.
Total Retail’s Take: Bed Bath & Beyond is shifting its brick-and-mortar strategy to meet the growing and changing desires of consumers. By eliminating store management positions, the company can hire more staff in non-management roles to help with customer service and online order fulfillment, for example. The former management structure supported a more rapid rate of store growth, but that's no longer a feasible strategy for Bed Bath & Beyond. A reduction in store positions and a greater focus on digital seems to be the path for Bed Bath & Beyond.
