7 NJ Big Lots Stores Set To Close Amid Company Bankruptcy Woes

NEW JERSEY — Seven Big Lots stores are slated to close in New Jersey, after the discount retailer declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month.

In August, Big Lots announced plans it would close 300 of its locations across the United States. Patch reported about the Woodbridge store closing in the past, and now six more locations are on the chopping block as the company looks to re-structure its store footprint.

Along with the Woodbridge Big Lots on Green Street, here are the other stores that will close:

• East Brunswick, 275 State Route 18
• Freehold, 220 Trotters Way
• North Bergen, 3129 Kennedy Boulevard
• Ocean Township, 2353 State Route 66
• Phillipsburg, 1202 New Brunswick Avenue
• Union, 2700 U.S. Highway 22

The company is advertising discount sales at these stores on its website; Big Lots has 27 stores in New Jersey, including the seven which are marked for closure.

Exact closing dates are unknown, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Founded in 1967, the company operated in its infancy as Consolidated International and operated closeout and discount stores under a variety of names. In 2001, the various store names and company were converted to the single national Big Lots brand.

The discount retailer posted a net loss of $205 million for the first quarter of 2024, prompting the company in a regulatory filing to warn that it has "substantial doubts" it can continue as a functioning business.

Along with the bankruptcy filing, Big Lots has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Nexus Capital Management LP, a Los Angeles-based investment firm.

"Though most of our stores are profitable, and we are taking every step possible to improve the profitability of all our stores, we will need to close certain locations to ensure that our business operates efficiently and we can continue serving our customers," the company stated in a release.