After months of speculation, big-box US retailer Bed Bath & Beyond is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the retailer could file as early as this weekend with the company evidently failing to raise the $300 million from share sales by 26 April required to stay out of chapter 11.

The report notes that Bed Bath & Beyond had raised $48.5 million earlier this month, but its current share price and availability would mean it only could add up to $80 million should it sell all remaining stock in the coming days.

The company first said it was exploring options including bankruptcy in January following a steady downturn at the retailer once synonymous with home goods in the US.

The WSJ report added that the retailer could get more time to raise capital from equity investors, but this would require shareholder authorisation – and the majority of stock is held by individual investors which would make it difficult for the company to secure the needed votes.

Elsewhere, a report from Bloomberg Law said that Bed Bath & Beyond is in talks with advisers and lenders with a bankruptcy filing less imminent but still set for the coming weeks. This report said that the company is looking at a number of financing options to help fund itself during bankruptcy.

Bed Bath & Beyond attempted multiple different plans to avoid bankruptcy including an abandoned scheme to raise around $1 billion in an offering of preferred stock, and a reverse stock split which it has urged shareholders to approve.

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