How Big! Lots Closings Will Impact South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota Stores

What began as a small downsizing for a national retail chain has turned into a massive store closing event.

Consumer Affairs is reporting that Big! Lots, which earlier this year announced it was shuttering 40 stores, now says it will close nearly 300 locations, which translates to a little more than 20 percent of their 1,389 stores.

The move comes after the Columbus, Ohio-based chain lost $114.5 million in revenue from the first quarter of 2023 to Q1 of this year. The company’s long-term debt also increased by $72.2 million from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024 — racking up a total of $573.8 million in long-term debt.

So what does this mean for shoppers in the Tri-State (South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota) area?

According to a list of store closings from Mass Live, none of Iowa's three locations will be impacted:

• Burlington
• Davenport
• Des Moines

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Minnesota is losing one of its two stores, with the Albert Lea location set to close.

The Blaine location will remain open.

Things aren't quite as clear in South Dakota, where the Sioux Falls location on Louise Avenue closed in 2015.

That leaves one store in Rapid City.

That location, on Eglin Street, isn't on the closing list, but a check of the store's page on the Big! Lots website tells a different story:

Nationwide, California is taking the biggest hit, with 75 of its 109 stores slated to close. , according to the website listings. Florida is slated to lose 26 of its 106 locations.

The Big Lots chain traces its history back to 1967 when Consolidated Stores Corporation was formed in Ohio.