Big Lots in Williamsburg, Yorktown may remain open, after all

WILLIAMSBURG – Discount retailer Big Lots has closed over 500 stores since announcing in September that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but newly filed court documents suggest that hundreds of locations – including the Williamsburg and Yorktown stores – could stay open.

Back in December, a North Carolina-based retail company named Variety Wholesalers announced that it would take over 200 to 400 Big Lots locations as well as two distribution centers. The stores would keep the Big Lots name and branding, the company said.

Variety Retailers currently operates over 400 stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Roses Discount stores, Bargain Town and Bill’s Dollar Stores.

A current employee at Williamsburg Big Lots, which is located at 6610 Mooretown Road, recently told The Triangle they believe the store is “definitely still closing,” despite the buyout announcement. A decent amount of merchandise remained available amid the store’s going-out-of-business sale. Signs still stated that the store is closing soon.

But reporting by USA Today suggests that 16 Virginia Big Lots are expected to remain open once they are acquired by Variety Retailers. Among them are the locations in Williamsburg and Yorktown, as well as several other Hampton Road Stores in Norfolk, Hampton and Chesapeake.

As of Feb. 7, Big Lots’ website still states that “all stores” are closing, and store-wide markdowns of up to 10-40% off are in place. The retailer currently operates 872 stores across the U.S.