The writing is on the wall for the local Big Lots store. A banner reading “Closing This Location Only” was taped to the building’s facade Thursday afternoon, and several signs about the store closing and deep discounts have been on the front windows for several days. While neither local staff nor corporate representatives will answer questions, all signs — literally — point toward Owensboro’s location not being among those saved by the company’s restructuring plan.
There has been much uncertainty on the future of Big Lots, both locally and company-wide, over the last month.
The company announced on January 19 that it was preparing to begin “going out of business” sales across all its stores nationwide. That decision followed the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in September and the subsequent collapse of a proposed sale to Nexus Capital Management LP.
Big Lots did not provide a timeline for exactly when those sales would begin or how long they would last. The company also noted it was still looking to complete some sort of sale by early January.
Then on December 29, the discount retailer released a restructuring plan, saying it aimed to preserve its brand, hundreds of stores, and thousands of jobs nationwide.
According to the company’s news release, the restructuring plan involved a sales transaction led by Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC. This agreement enables the transfer of Big Lots assets — including stores, distribution centers, and intellectual property — to other retailers and companies.
The fate of the Owensboro location was unknown at the time. When asked for specific details about the Owensboro location, Evan Grogan, a senior account executive with PR firm Joele Frank, said the company was not providing additional information beyond the official release.
OT has continued to ask Big Lots for more information in recent weeks after store closing signage began to go up. A manager at the Owensboro location said all questions had to go through the corporate team. Attempts to get further comment from Grogan or anyone else with the Big Lots Public Relations team have gone unanswered.
The Owensboro Big Lots store is located at 4610 Frederica Street in the Towne Square North shopping center. It moved to that location a little more than 5 years ago.
