While a large yellow “CLOSING” sign is still hanging at the Big Lots store in the Statesboro Square Shopping Center, a bankruptcy filing from Feb. 3 indicates the lease for the store off Northside Drive will be one of 197 Big Lots transferred to Variety Wholesalers.
Variety, which owns more than 400 discount stores in the U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, said in late December that it would acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand.
In the Feb. 3 court filing, the Big Lots next to Ocean Galley restaurant was among 13 Georgia stores listed to be transferred to Variety. However, a spokesperson said the process could be lengthy and that the list was not final and new locations could be added. Big Lots has been open in Statesboro Square for more than two decades.
Along with Statesboro, the Big Lots store lease in Vidalia is listed to be transferred to Variety. The 197 stores on the transfer list are spread across 15 states, with the most, 46, in North Carolina, and one each in Louisiana and Indiana.
The leases on the other 687 Big Lots stores in 47 states are for sale and those stores are scheduled to shut down.
The discount chain filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2024 and announced just before Christmas it would hold “going-out-of-business” sales at its remaining stores. At that time, there were 869 Big Lots stores operating around the nation.
After that announcement, the Statesboro store took down its holiday season sale signs and a “CLOSING” sign was posted at the entrance, along with additional store closing and discount signs. Those signs were still up Friday morning.
The store chain reached an agreement Dec. 30 with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies, to take control of the company. Gordon then reached an agreement with Variety Wholesalers, the North Carolina-based owner of Roses and other discount chains, for Variety to acquire the Big Lots stores.
Back in September, eight stores in Georgia, including locations in Decatur, Fayetteville, Roswell, Savannah, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Thomson and Waynesboro, were closed. Along with Statesboro, Big Lots in Vidalia and Hinesville have stayed open.
Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots sells furniture, home decor and other items. When it filed for bankruptcy in September, it said inflation and high interest rates caused consumers to pull back on their purchases of home and seasonal products, two categories the chain depends on for a significant part of its revenue.