(NEXSTAR) — It’s been five months since Big Lots announced it was preparing to close all of its stores, after closing hundreds of others following its bankruptcy filing. Since then, more than 100 Big Lots stores have reopened under new management.
Next month, nearly 80 more Big Lots stores will open, Variety Wholesalers confirmed to Nexstar on Monday. (The company acquired hundreds of Big Lots stores, which are retaining their original branding as part of a deal reached by Gordon Brothers Retail Partners.)
This comes after nine stores reopened in April, and two reopening waves in May, totaling dozens of stores each. The fourth wave of store reopenings, scheduled for Thursday, June 4, will expand Big Lots’ footprint in nine states:
Florida
- Brandon: 843 West Bloomingdale Avenue
- Fort Myers: 4901 Palm Beach Boulevard Unit 27B
- Milton: 6247 Highway 90
- North Fort Myers: 13970 N. Cleveland Avenue
- Ruskin: 3048 State Road 674
- Spring Hill: 2384 Commercial Way
- St. Cloud: 3401 13th Street, #100
Georgia
- Covington: 3111 Highway 278 NW
- LaGrange: 127 Commerce Avenue
- Statesboro: Highway 80 & Lester Street
Kentucky
- Bowling Green: 3000 Scottsville Road
North Carolina
- Aberdeen: 1377 Sandhills Boulevard North
- Albermarle: 7201-C 24/27/Bypass E
- Concord: 280 Concord Parkway N
- Franklin: 273 Franklin Park
- Fuquay-Varina: 630 Lakestone Commons Avenue
- High Point: 1677 Westchester Drive
- High Point: 2531 Eastchester Drive
- Jacksonville: 1110 Western Boulevard
- Kannapolis: 950 S. Cannon Boulevard, Suite A
- Laurinburg: 1664 S Main St
- Lumberton: 2750c North Roberts Avenue
- Morehead City: 2900 Arendell Street, Suite 19
- Morganton: 1251 Burkemont Avenue
- Murphy: 1450 Andrews Road
- New Bern: 520 Berne Square Shopping Center
- Salisbury: 711 East Innes Street
- Sanford: 2950 South Horner Boulevard
- Shallotte: 4600 Main Street
- Spindale: 2016 Hwy 74A
- Waynesville: 1176 Russ Avenue
- Weaverville: 130 Weaver Boulevard
- Wilmington: 6832 Market Street
Ohio
- Akron: 1890 West Market Street
- Akron: 426 East Waterloo Road
- Barberton: 241 W Wooster Rd
- Canton: 1336 Whipple Avenue, NW
- Cincinnati: 3640 Werk Road
- Cuyahoga Falls: 405 Howe Avenue
- Gallipolis: 400 Silver Bridge Plaza
- Garfield Heights: 12588 Rockside Road
- Harrison: 10560 Harrison Avenue
- Marietta: 110 South 7th Street
- Mentor: 8489 Market Street
- South Point: 367 County Road 406, Suite B
- Wheelersburg: 9025 Ohio River Road
Pennsylvania
- East Rochester: 750 Ohio River Boulevard
- Ephrata: 389 N. Reading Road
- Fairless Hills: 500 Lincoln Highway (Route 1)
- Greensburg: 6041 State Route 30 Suite 20
- Hanover: 1150 Carlisle Street
- Indiana: 2444 Philadelphia Street
- Johnstown: Scalp Avenue & Route 219
- Pittsburgh: 4717 McKnight Road
- Pittsburgh: 11628 Penn Hills Drive
- Washington: 254 Oak Springs Road
- York: 2140 White Street
South Carolina
- Beaufort: 328 Robert Smalls Parkway
- Columbia: 9221 Two Notch Road
- Columbia: 6169 St. Andrews Road
- Conway: 1641 Church Street
- Goose Creek: 431 St. James Avenue, Unit B
- Lancaster: 1206 Highway 9 Bypass
- Moncks Corner: 1013 Old Highway 52
- Myrtle Beach: 1370 South Kings Highway
- North Myrtle Beach: 710 Highway 17 South, Suite B
- Summerville: 10150 Dorchester Road
Tennessee
- Chattanooga: 3901 Hixson Pike Suite 157
- Columbia: 1301 S James Campbell Boulevard
- Cookeville: 633 S Jefferson Avenue
- Kingsport: 1913 Sherwood Road
- Rockwood: 1496 N. Gateway Avenue
Virginia
- Chesapeake: 1971 Military Highway South
- Hampton: 2318 West Mercury Boulevard
- Norfolk: 1851 E. Little Creek Road
- Richlands: 180 Kents Ridge Road
- Vinton: 1090 Bypass Road
- Williamsburg: 6610 Mooretown Road
More details about these stores, including operating hours, can be found on the Big Lots website after they reopen on June 5. Variety Wholesalers said grand opening celebrations for these stores are planned for the fall.
With this fourth wave of stores, the Big Lots footprint will reach 220 stores, just a small portion of the more than 1,300 locations that were open around this time last year.
Big Lots began in 1967, but it wasn’t until 2001 that all of its stores operated under that name. Speculation that the retailer could file for bankruptcy began bubbling up last summer after it warned in a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that between 35 and 40 locations could shutter. Weeks later, that estimation jumped to more than 300.
Company leaders had pointed to inflation and difficulties in competing. Then, in September, Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In the months to follow, hundreds of stores would shutter. A last-minute sale in January, however, has allowed hundreds of stores to remain open.
The sale agreement, reached with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, stipulated that Variety Wholesalers would acquire between 200 and 400 former Big Lots stores and reopen them, maintaining the branding. It’s unclear whether any additional store openings are on the horizon.
Several former Big Lots storefronts that are not reopening have found a new life. Other retailers, like Ocean State Job Lot and Ollie’s Bargain Market, have announced plans to take over those locations. Meanwhile, in Denver, a pickleball facility intends to open in a former Big Lots before the end of the year.
