Local Big Lots stores to reopen soon | Local Business News
Lewisburg, Pa. — Two former Big Lots stores in the area are set to reopen as part of a wave of openings under new owners.
Last week, the first wave of nine Big Lots stores opened across six states. Starting on May 1, a second wave of Big Lots stores will open, including the Lewisburg store at 7405 Westbranch Highway.
The Bloomsburg store, located at 2431 Columbia Boulevard, will reopen at a later date. The Lewisburg and Bloomsburg locations were part of the 219 stores acquired by Variety Wholesalers earlier this year as part of a deal after Big Lots sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners. The company will reopen stores under the Big Lots name.
The Muncy store, located at the District at Lycoming Valley (formerly Lycoming Mall), was not part of the sales acquisition. That store space, owned by developers Famvest Partners, remains empty.
This “second wave” of openings slated for May also includes an additional 54 stores across Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Two other store locations in Pennsylvania, Archbald and Dunmore, will open next month as well, according to a list a Variety Wholesalers spokesperson provided to Fast Company. Two additional rounds of openings will occur through June.
‘We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots! brand back to life by offering more deals than ever, lots of famous brands and a new apparel department for the entire family,” CEO Lisa Seigies said in a press release.
Pictures posted last week on the Big Lots Facebook page show that merchandise appears to be similar to what the stores sold before the former company declared bankruptcy and shuttered all stores. However, it does not appear the new Big Lots stores are selling furniture.
Last year, Big Lots filed for bankruptcy and began liquidation sales in December at all locations. The company had more than 800 stores at the time in the U.S., according to its website. The last of those stores shuttered in March.
Other retailers have announced they are buying Big Lots locations, with 15 in the Northeast going to Ocean State Job Lots of Rhode Island. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet also said they are buying 40 stores, according to USA Today.
