COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After closing their doors amid a months-long bankruptcy process, several Big Lots locations have reopened under new management.
About 220 Big Lots stores underwent liquidation in March after the chain filed for bankruptcy last September, in preparation for Variety Wholesalers’ plan to renovate and reopen each location. The North Carolina-based company, which acquired the 220 storefronts when Gordon Brothers Retail Partners bought Big Lots in January, reopened the following nine locations across six states on Thursday as part of the chain’s initial relaunch:
- Kentucky: 1342 Indian Mound Dr. in Mount Sterling.
- Louisiana: 755 Veterans Memorial Blvd in Metairie.
- Mississippi: 2605 W. Main St. in Tupelo; 5778 Hwy 80 E. in Pearl.
- North Carolina: 1432 E. Dixie Dr. in Asheboro.
- Tennessee: 1041 S. Riverside Dr. in Clarksville; 744 Nashville Pike in Gallatin; 220 Dickson Plaza Dr. in Dickson.
- Virginia: 2911 Hershberger Rd. NW in Roanoke.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots brand back to life,” said Lisa Seigies, CEO of Variety. “We’re opening stores quickly so we can serve the community. We know the stores won’t be perfect to start, but each week we’ll add more new products as we build towards the grand opening celebration in the fall.”
In addition to the six initial states, Variety is reopening stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia. Those locations will relaunch in waves, with about 55 shops in the second round opening in early May. Remaining stores will reopen through early June and lead up to a grand opening celebration across all stores this fall.
Meanwhile, HomeBuys is taking over two former Ohio Big Lots, one of which is in Pickerington at 1171 Hill Road North. Several other chains are also buying in, with Aldi purchasing nine locations across eight states, Burlington adding 12 stores across nine states to their collection of 22 Big Lots shops, and Tractor Supply Co. picking up 15 stores across 14 states.
Ollie’s, a discount retailer based in Pennsylvania, announced in late February it purchased 40 more Big Lots storefronts that were marked for closure. The acquisition, which increases Ollie’s ownership of Big Lots stores to 63, features locations nationwide, including four in Ohio.
Gordon Brothers is reorganizing Big Lots’ U.S. stores while also sorting out the chain’s Columbus headquarters. In late January, the company entered into an agreement with OhioHealth to sell the retailer’s 24-acre corporate headquarters in northeast Columbus for $36 million.