WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Discount retailer, Big Lots has revealed plans to close over 50 more stores, including one in Lehigh County, as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
In the most recent bankruptcy filing submitted on Friday, Big Lots, headquartered in Ohio, specified 56 more stores across the country will be shutting down, including the one located at 2631 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.
Workers at the Whitehall location confirmed to WFMZ News that the store will be closing, but they could not comment further on the development.
In September, Big Lots sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to economic challenges like high inflation and interest rates impacting customer spending habits.
As part of its Chapter 11 filing, the retailer announced that Los Angeles-based private equity firm Nexus Capital Management is acquiring “substantially all” of Big Lots’ assets and ongoing business operations.
A message on Big Lot's website reads -- “Operating under new ownership who believes in our business and provides increased financial stability will improve our long-term profitability.”
“To facilitate the transaction, we initiated voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings, which will make the proposed transaction subject to higher or otherwise better offers, as well as Court approval. We also intend to continue optimizing our store footprint during the process. 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. Taken together, these actions are intended to accelerate our efforts to improve our performance and strengthen our business for the future.”
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As per the company's description - The company is dedicated to being "the big difference for a better life by delivering bargains to brag about" on a wide assortment of items, including furniture, home decor, groceries, health and wellness products, pet accessories and seasonal and holiday items.
“It fulfills its mission to help customers ‘Live BIG and Save LOTS’ with sourcing strategies to grow extreme bargains through closeouts, liquidations, overstocks, private labels, and value-engineered products."
Over the past few months, Big Lots’ number of planned store closures has grown from around 300 to more than 550.
Before the large-scale closing announcements that began in the summer, Big Lots had over 1,380 locations across the country.
Big Lots' current store count is 1,244, according to the company’s store finder page.
Apart from the Whitehall location, there are other Big Lots stores in the Lehigh Valley area: 2349 Lehigh St. in Allentown, 2192 W. Union Blvd in Bethlehem, and 7150 Hamilton Blvd in Trexlertown.
The Whitehall store is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The exact date of closure for the Whitehall store remains unknown.
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