This discount chain is leaving the Kansas City area for good. Sales go until it’s gone
Discount retail chain Big Lots is closing its last Kansas City area stores.
The retailer is now closing its stores at 7408 Nieman Road in Shawnee and 603 U.S. Highway 40 in Blue Springs, according to bankruptcy court filings.
The Shawnee location is looking to close in January, employees told The Star. It’s offering sales on the entire store — clothes, home goods, toys, etc. — up to 20% off. The spot in Blue Springs is also closing, though its manager would not comment.
In the past few weeks, more stores have received notice of closure: 901 E. Langsford Road in Lee’s Summit, 4826 N. Oak Trafficway in the Northland and 140 S. Clairborne Road in Olathe.
Employees at both the Lee’s Summit and the Northland locations said they are unsure when their last days will be. Employees with the Olathe location previously told The Star that it was expected to close before Thanksgiving.
Stores at 4201 S. Noland Road in Independence, 13637 Washington St. in south Kansas City, and 7533 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas, have also closed in the past few months.
The 56-year-old Ohio-based brand has been struggling to keep up with sales expectations for the past few years. Its waves of mass closures began this summer.
In September, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Stores shuttered around the country as part of the company’s reorganization plan.
The closest remaining Big Lots locations will be in Topeka and Sedalia.
The company is currently planning to close more than 340 stores. It has around 1,400 stores total and employs 30,000 people, according to Reuters.