Retail Chain 'Brought Back To Life' As 70+ Stores Set To Open Across U.S.

UNITED STATES — A big retail chain has emerged from bankruptcy and is moving to reopen dozens of stores this week.

Discount retailer Big Lots is back after it was forced to close hundreds of stores last year. But on June 5, the company said it will reopen 78 stores nationwide.

The chain has been revived thanks to its sale to Brothers Retail Partners months ago. Within the same deal, Variety Wholesale acquired 219 Big Lots locations and two distribution centers.

"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," Lisa Seigies, CEO of Variety Wholesalers, said in a news release.

Here's where the stores are reopening this week, according to multiple reports:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia

The openings are coming in four separate waves. The first two waves saw dozens of stores open on April 10 and May 13. This month will usher in the third wave. By the fourth, the chain expects to have reopened 219 locations across the U.S.

"WE'RE BACK!!!!" Big Lots posted to Facebook. "So great to see so many smiling faces!"

The comeback is unfolding in the Southeastern United States, extending into parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions. It's unclear whether the chain will ever reappear in the Midwest or the Western states.

At its peak, the Columbus, Ohio-based retailer had stores in 47 states, according to Scrape Hero, a data collection website.

The chain, which sells furniture, home decor and other items, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early September 2024. The move came a month after the retailer announced the closure of 300 locations nationwide. Before filing for bankruptcy, Big Lots had 1,392 stores nationwide.

"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.

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

Though the company was close to extinction last year, it appears to have rebounded. The news comes as large U.S. retailers continue to struggle in the face of inflation and economic uncertainty amid President Donald Trump's tariff war.

At Home Group Inc., another decor retailer, has indicated it may file for Chapter 11 amid navigating financial turmoil that has been complicated by the nation's ongoing trade war, according to an anonymous source contacted by Bloomberg.

The retailer has about 266 stores in 40 states across the nation, according to data company Scrape Hero.

Meanwhile, since JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020, more than 200 store locations have closed. The centennial company is at risk of disappearing entirely.

Similarly, Rite Aid is navigating its Chapter 11 proceedings. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on May 4 for the second time in less than two years after the previous restructuring lessened the pharmacy chain's debt but still left it on unsound financial footing.