Big Lots closing many NC stores this year, including in Raleigh and Durham. Here’s where
Update: Read about more recent developments here.
Big Lots expects to close stores across the U.S. this year, and the Triangle will not be spared.
The discount retailer announced in a June filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company plans to close 35-40 locations in 2024. (However, an article from the Massachusetts publication MassLive showed that hundreds of Big Lots locations have a “closing this location” message on their websites.)
While Big Lots has not released a list of stores that will close, websites of specific locations have a “closing this location” message, along with a notice that customers can take advantage of discounts up to 20% off prices.
Big Lots did not immediately respond to The News & Observer’s request for more information on this story.
Which Big Lots stores in the Triangle are closing?
Four locations in Raleigh and Durham have “closing this location” messages on their websites:
- Durham: 2000 Avondale Drive. A store manager at this location could not immediately be reached Monday afternoon.
- Durham: 3420 SW Durham Drive. A store manager told The N&O the location is receiving its last shipment next week and after selling out, the store will shut down for good. The expected closure is in September.
- Raleigh: 6540 Glenwood Ave. Signs on the front of the building show the store is closing. A store manager who answered The N&O’s call directed the reporter to the company’s marketing team for more information. Big Lots’ external communications team did not immediately respond to The N&O’s email mid-day Monday.
- Raleigh: 1515 Garner Station Blvd. A store manager who answered The N&O’s call said the location is expected to close in October.
Two Charlotte stores are also closing.
Other Big Lots locations in Durham, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale, Raleigh and Cary appear to be unaffected, based on their websites.
Big Lots’ sales decreasing
As of May, Big Lots operated nearly 1,400 stores across 48 states, according to the June filing.
Big Lots wrote in the filing that the company has “implemented plans to reduce costs, improve sales, and enhance its financial flexibility and liquidity,” but that may not be enough.
Compared to the first quarter of 2023, Big Lots saw a decrease in net sales of $114.5 million in the first quarter of 2024 — 10.2%. Long-term debt increased $72.2 million from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, according to the filing.
Other retailers & restaurants closing in the Raleigh area
The News & Observer has previously reported on several chains that are closing locations in the Triangle.
- The grocer Lowes Foods is closing its store on Rowlock Way in northwest Raleigh.
- Regal’s Beaver Creek Crossings theater in Apex is no longer in operation.
- Two Triangle Red Lobster restaurants, in Cary and Durham, were marked “temporarily closed” online in May. Those locations are now no longer listed on Red Lobster’s website.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Big Lots closing many NC stores this year, including in Raleigh and Durham. Here’s where."
