The CEO of Big Lots, Bruce Thorn, blamed the company for its failure to meet its sales goals. In a comment, he said: “There has been a continued pullback in consumer spending by our core customers, particularly in high ticket discretionary items. We remain focused on managing through the current economic cycle by controlling the controllables.”
The signs of the Big Lots store’s closure were becoming obvious as they were nearing bankruptcy in 2023, which led to the closure of 50 stores. The reason for this year’s closure is also due to debts and drops in sales.
List of Closing Locations
While the company has not disclosed the complete list of stores set to close, signs have already begun appearing at affected locations.
There are about 89 stores across 27 states with closure notices on their web pages. The date for the closure of these stores has yet to be discovered.
Here are the list of Big Lots stores in 27 states with closure notices on their websites:
- Alabama: Troy
- Arizona: Flagstaff, Glendale, Laveen, Mesa, East Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix (Ray Road, 75th Avenue, Bell Road, West Bethany Road, East Bell Road), Scottsdale, Tucson (North Oracle Road)
- Colorado: Aurora (South Parker Road), Grand Junction, Littleton, Longmont
- Connecticut: Manchester, Milford, Waterford
- Florida: Boca Raton, Bonita Springs, Clewiston, Coconut Creek, Destin, Hallandale, Hollywood, Miami Lakes, Orange Park, Orlando (Waterbridge Downs), Pompano Beach
- Georgia: Savannah, Thomson
- Illinois: Crest Hill, Lockport, Niles
- Indiana: North Indianapolis, Kokomo
- Kansas: Kansas City
- Louisiana: Lafayette, Natchitoches
- Maryland: Laurel, Lexington Park, Reisterstown
- Massachusetts: Dennis Port
- Michigan: Kentwood, Okemos, Portage, Ypsilanti
- Minnesota: Albert Lea
- Missouri: Kansas City (Washington Street), Saint Joseph, Saint Louis (Christy Boulevard)
- Montana: Helena
- New York: Carle Place, Centereach, Queensbury
- North Carolina: Durham (Avondale Drive)
- Oregon: Albany, Salem
- Pennsylvania: Clifton Heights, Exton
- South Carolina: Aiken, Chester, Newberry
- South Dakota: Rapid City
- Utah: Layton, Logan
- Vermont: Barre
- Virginia: Fredericksburg (Warrenton Road), Manassas
- Washington: Bellingham, Burien, Covington, Everett, Kent, Lacey, Lynnwood, Olympia, Port Angeles, Renton, Tacoma (72nd Street), Vancouver (SE 164th Avenue)
- Wisconsin: Fond du Lac, Menomonee Falls, Mount Pleasant, Sheboygan, West Bend
The location of Big Lots stores that are not set to close according to their web pages includes;
Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, or Wyoming
Despite the closures, Big Lots plans to open three new stores in 2024. The company’s leadership remains hopeful that these strategic closures and new openings will help stabilize its financial situation. However, the ongoing economic challenges and the company’s substantial net losses present a daunting path ahead.
