Walmart, Wayfair among expected beneficiaries from Bed Bath & Beyond bankruptcy
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Bed Bath & Beyondâs (NASDAQ:BBBY) final capitulation could benefit a number of retailers, according to analysts.
The New Jersey-based specialty retailer filed for Chapter 11 protection over the weekend, bringing a close to over 50 years of operation. According to company statements, management is pursuing an âorderly wind down of its businesses while conducting a limited marketing process to solicit interest in one or more sales of some or all of its assets.â
Oppenheimer told clients it is âhard-pressed to envision a buyer stepping upâ in the near term. As such, liquidation âshould not come as a surprise to investors.â Given this likely scenario, the remaining market share held by the beleaguered Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) -23.06%, which notched about $5.3B in sales in the past year, could soon boost competitors. 
âWe do expect that certain chains could ultimately capitalize, somewhat upon a market share shift away from BBBY, including: [Williams-Sonoma] (WSM), [Lovesac] (LOVE), and [Wayfair] (NYSE:W), within our Consumer Growth & eCommerce universe. Moreover, the ultimate closure of BBBY stores should further weaken an already upended retail real estate backdrop, implying the potential for even more compelling new unit growth opportunities for still expanding chains such as Five Below (FIVE).â
Adding to Oppenheimerâs list of potential market share poachers, Bank of America echoed the potential for Wayfair (W) and also called out Overstock (OSTK).
âOver the past five years US home furnishings market share has consolidated to the largest brands including Amazon (AMZN), Target (TGT), (NYSE:WMT) & Wayfair,â the bankâs analysts advised clients. âWayfair and Overstock could see modest revenue upside from the Bed Bath bankruptcy but we see minimal benefit to Arhaus (ARHS) & RH (RH).â
Finally, Piper Sandler homed in on industry giants as the most likely to continue eating up the market share left behind by Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY).
âWe believe that we are entering a new phase of retail industry consolidation and that Target and Walmart will be long-term share beneficiaries,â equity analysts Edward Yruma and Abbie Zvejnieks wrote. âSimilar to the Toys âRâ Us/KRU bankruptcy in 2017, we think that share gains will largely go to TGT, WMT, and AMZN. Investments in store pickup, store experience, and e-comm are driving share gains at both TGT and WMT, and we expect these to accelerate as we enter a new phase of retail consolidation.â
The two added that Target (TGT) is particularly well-positioned to pick up market share in home furnishings as well as baby products, a bright spot for Bed Bath & Beyond in recent years due to the success of its Buy Buy Baby business. 
To be sure, the anticipated beneficiaries should also see competition from Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA. The retailer plans to open 17 new locations and invest billions in the US market in the coming years.
Read more on the details of the bankruptcy and prior warnings offered by the company.