Big Lots store is on a comeback. Discount retail chain reveals that 132 U.S. stores will reopen in May 2025. This marks one of the largest recent opening efforts by the company.
The move is also part of a stepped-up push to regain shoppers in important regions and expand its geographic footprint. Big Lots is returning after closing or halting operations temporarily in some locations over the last year on an economic basis with a renewed goal of doing what it does best, value and convenience.
What’s Behind the Reopening
Big Lots is taking advantage of both the credit crunch and the decision to reopen stores to grow in both urban and suburban areas. The company’s executives say that customers are demanding the products, and they’re seeing strong demand as more people search for ways to extend their budgets.
Inflation and economic unsafety is leading to shoppers turning to discount retailers like Big Lots for essentials, furniture, home goods, as well as seasonal products. The idea is that re-opening is a way for them to serve more communities and draw value conscious customers.
Big Lots also does not want to open new stores from scratch since it wants to use the company’s already existing real estate. Many of the reopened locations are located in previously closed buildings that the company still owned or leased, which would otherwise represent a new building startup cost.
Where the Stores Are Reopening
Reopened stores will be in multiple states, including California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The states that will comprise these states are both high population areas and areas in which Big Lots has had success in the market in the past.
The full list of spots includes mix of suburban shopping centers and where demand for affordable household goods is highest urban areas, according to Fast Company. In previous years, cost cutting measures had seen some of the stores temporarily closed, others shut altogether.
Focus on In-Store and Online Shopping
Unlike other stores that are reopening, Big Lots is also redoing its stores. New layouts, better product displays, and better integration of its online shopping system are some of the things the company says the reopened locations will feature.
Customers will get to shop in store or place orders online and get them in store for same day pickup or delivery. Badly positioned between Walmart, Target and Dollar General, which are all offering online services, Big Lots has chosen this hybrid model.
In addition to Big Lots’ popular product lines such as furniture, décor, groceries, cleaning supplies and seasonal items for summer, the stores will also carry these same products.
Job Creation and Local Impact
Those restarts from the store are expected to bring about thousands of new jobs. Usually, about 20 to 40 employees work at each store. The roles on offer in this hiring wave will be in retail sales, store management, logistics, and customer service.
Many of the affected areas have welcomed the move by local officials. Reopening closed storefronts helps the local economy, brings more foot traffic to shopping centers, and utilizes retail space that might otherwise go empty.
Conclusion
By reopening 132 stores this May, Big Lots is taking a bold step forward for the discount retailer. The company is working to bring itself back to market, and to key markets at that, with a focus on affordable, convenient, and customer-focused offerings to meet the needs of shoppers in uncertain economic times.
Big Lots wants you to shop their store once more, whether you’re in the market for budget furniture, pantry staples, everyday home goods, or something in between. And this aggressive expansion is merely a strong signal of the company’s bet that value is powerful.
