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Big Lots history
Big Lots company history timeline
Sol Shenk founded the company in 1967 that is now Big Lots.
In 1970 the company began operating as Consolidated International.
In 1983, drug store chain Revco bought New Jersey closeout retailer Odd Lot Trading Co.
In 1986, Consolidated Stores Corp. switched to the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol CNS.
In the wake of an excellent fiscal year, CSC targeted 1988 as a year to catch its management and management systems up to its explosive growth.
1994: Consolidated Stores named one of the ten most profitable chains in 1994.
In 1997, CSC purchased a 665,000 square-foot distribution center in Montgomery, Alabama in order to cut distribution costs to its southern stores.
In 1997, Big Lots Inc. bought out 'MacFrugals' (Pic 'N' Save) stores for $995 million in stock, eventually converting them to the Big Lots brand.
In 1998, CSC operated 171-furniture departments within its Big Lots general discount stores and had 26 freestanding Big Lots furniture stores.
1999: Internet retail site KBkids.com LLC is launched as a joint venture with BrainPlay.com.
Big Lots faced a $10.7 million loss, in August 2001, caused by slow sales, lowered profit margins and the company's continued investment in converting its multiple non-Big Lots-named stores into Big Lots.
856 stores already operated under the Big Lots name and the remaining stores who operated as Odd Lots, Mac Frugal's and Pic 'n' Save were slated to have their names changed by the end of 2002.
In the beginning months of 2002, the advertising campaign and a particular commercial entitled "Closeout Moment," beat out approximately 700 entrants to receive honors as a finalist at the Retail Advertising Conference's Awards.
As Big Lots saw their TV commercials making a difference in the markets they were broadcast to, the company began drafting plans to open 53 new stores in 2002, all in Big Lots current 45-state market.
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Big Lots competitors
Company Name  | Founded Date | Revenue | Employee Size | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kroger | 1883 | $148.3B | 465,000 | 13,277 |
| The Home Depot | 1978 | $157.4B | 500,001 | 27,021 |
| Kohl's | 1962 | $18.1B | 110,000 | 1,829 |
| BJ's Wholesale Club | 1984 | $19.3B | 25,001 | 774 |
| Rite Aid | 1962 | $24.1B | 50,000 | 1,314 |
| Vudu | 2004 | - | 180 | - |
| Dillard's | 1938 | $7.0B | 40,000 | 14 |
| Walmart | 1962 | $611.3B | 2,300,000 | 44,320 |
| Dollar General | 1939 | $37.8B | 143,000 | 18,276 |
| Target | 1902 | $109.1B | 409,000 | 10,599 |
Big Lots history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Big Lots, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Big Lots. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Big Lots. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Big Lots. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Big Lots and its employees or that of Zippia.
Big Lots may also be known as or be related to Big Lots, Inc., Big Lots, Big Lots Stores, Inc., Big Lots Inc and Big Lots Stores.