It’s been a rough year for retailers. Some, like Joann, have filed for bankruptcy and gone out of business completely, while others, including Rite Aid, are closing locations left and right.
When Big Lots filed for bankruptcy, it seemed like that was the end. But other companies have stepped up to operate discount stores in their former locations, including Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. That chain just opened new stores in former Big Lots across a dozen states. Here are the shuttered Big Lots locations that are now Ollie’s.
What Happened to Big Lots?
Big Lots filed for bankruptcy in September 2024. It cited reasons including less demand for its furniture and decor because of a sluggish housing market, stubborn inflation, high interest rates, and an overall slowdown in consumer spending after the pandemic era.
Since then, there’s been an endless stream of news about which locations are closing, and which locations are reopening with different operators.
Aren’t Some Big Lots Reopening?
Hundreds of Big Lots locations are now reopened after a company called Variety Wholesalers, which operates other discount chains, purchased the locations. Just this month, that company will reopen 78 more stores, bringing the total number of resurrected Big Lots to 219.
Why Did Ollie’s Take Over Some Big Lots?
Though Variety Wholesalers purchased and reopened hundreds of former Big Lots locations, there’s hundreds that are still closed. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet decided to take over some of those locations and turn them into Ollie’s, figuring the neighborhoods were already ripe for a discount retailer.
In total, Ollie’s acquired 40 former Big Lots locations through auction in the bankruptcy process. So far, 18 of those locations have been reopened as new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet stores.
New Ollie’s Locations in Former Big Lots
Here are the 18 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet locations that have opened in former Big Lots stores so far this year, according to USA Today.
- Thomson, Georgia
- Lockport, Illinois
- Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin
- Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- West Bend, Wisconsin
- Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
- Natchitoches, Louisiana
- Union City, Tennessee
- Warsaw, Indiana
- Big Rapids, Michigan
- Saint Marys, Ohio
- Newington, Connecticut
- Rutland, Vermont
- Neenah, Wisconsin
- Independence, Missouri
- Galveston, Texas
- Madisonville, Kentucky
- Corpus Christi North, Texas
Other New Ollie’s Locations
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is growing this year, even beyond the former Big Lots locations it’s taken over. Here are other locations already opened by the chain so far.
- Ironwood, Michigan
- Norman, Oklahoma
- Edmond, Oklahoma
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Sanford, Maine
- Manitowoc, Wisconsin
- Belleville, Illinois
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