Bed Bath & Beyond rises as retailer unveils turnaround plan

Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond are moving sharply higher before the opening bell Wednesday after executives rolled out a raft of initiatives to turn the struggling chain around.

Six weeks after using the company's own dismal quarterly results as motivation for change, new CEO Mark Tritton said Bed Bath & Beyond would spend $1 billion this year reinvesting in stores, upgrading technology, and on debt reduction and share buybacks.

Part of the funding for those maneuvers will come from the $252 million sale of its PersonalizationMall.com business, announced Tuesday.

“The financial strength of our business allows us to take the important steps needed to return capital to our shareholders and reduce our debt, while at the same time also investing in our customer,” said Tritton, who was brought aboard in November to redirect the company's operations.

Shares jumped 5% before the opening bell Wednesday.

The Union, New Jersey, company withdrew its annual guidance last month after swinging to a $38.6 million third-quarter loss. Shares tumbled 8% on that day, and have fallen 32% this year.

“Our performance in the third quarter was unsatisfactory and underscores the imperative for change and strengthens our sense of priorities and purpose,” Tritton said at the time.

But same-store sales at Bed Bath & Beyond, a crucial barometer of a retailer's health, have been negative since May 2017.

The announcement late Tuesday is the first major initiative under Tritton, the former chief merchandise officer at Target Corp. When industry analysts talk about the successful campaign to reinvigorate sales at Target Corp., Tritton's name is usually mentioned.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. will devote $600 million on share repurchases, dividends and debt reduction, with a heavier...