COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Lots discount retail chain proceeded through bankruptcy by closing more stores, including Wisconsin locations in Eau Claire and LaCrosse. Closed earlier were stores in Fond Du Lac, La Menomonee Falls, Mount Pleasant, Neenah, Sheboygan and West Bend. In Minnesota only the Blaine store remains open. At its peak the Ohio-based based chain had 1,300 stores and 22,000 employes.
Verbatim
Bruce Thorn, chief executive: “We missed our sales goals due largely to a continued pullback in consumer spending by our core customers, particularly in high ticket discretionary items. We remain focused on managing through the current economic cycle by controlling the controllables.”
In Rochester. Store Number 1512 already closed.