About Big Lots
Big Lots is a publicly listed company based in Columbus (United States) founded in 1967 by Sol Shenk, and was acquired by Gordon Brothers in January 2025. Discount retail operations are maintained, selling consumer goods and essentials. Big Lots has completed 1 acquisition, including Hearthsong. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Bruce Thorn. Its website biglots.com draws about 597 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include Consumer Goods, Retail Chains, Horizontal and Convenience Stores. Its legal entity is Maine Potato Growers, Inc.
Company details
The company was established in 1967 in Columbus, Ohio, within the retail sector. Discount merchandise, including packaged foods, beverages, toys, furniture, clothing, housewares, and small electronics, is sold through 1,464 stores across 47 U.S. states, an online platform, and a wholesale division for bulk resale. In 2021, annual revenues of 6.19 billion and net profit of 0.62 billion were achieved.
- Headquarters Columbus, United States
- Founders Sol Shenk
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsRetail
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website biglots.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Gordon Brothers (Jan 2025)
- Legal Name Big Lots, Inc.
- Annual Revenue$4.72 B (USD)-13.65as on Jan 31, 2024
- Net Profit-$481.88 M (USD)-128.69as on Jan 31, 2024
- EBITDA-$234.94 M (USD)-199.1as on Jan 31, 2024
- Latest Funding Round$2.34M (USD), Post-IPO
Sep 2018
- InvestorsGordon Brothers
& 1 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byGordon Brothers
(Jan 2025)
Funding Insights of Big Lots
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Post-IPO — $2.34M
- First Round $2.34M
(Sep 2018)
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of Big Lots with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2018 | $2.34M | Post-IPO | – | – |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Big Lots
Big Lots has secured backing from 2 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Gordon Brothers and Putnam.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Diversified investment management services are offered by Putnam firm. | 1937 | putnam.com | Kansas City, United States | |
Asset investment management and financial services are provided to clients. | 1903 | gordonbrothers.com | Boston, United States |
Investor details for Big Lots
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People of Big Lots
58 people are tracked at Big Lots (22 in leadership, 9 in board & advisors, 27 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Sol Shenk | Founder | Leadership |
Bruce Thorn | CEO & President | Leadership |
Mike Schlonsky | EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer | Leadership |
Laurie Murdick | Vice President Of Merchandise Planning | Leadership |
Craig Hart | Senior Vice President - Planning, Allocation & Replenishment | Leadership |
Raghavendra Phasalkar | VP Of Extreme Value Sourcing | Leadership |
Jonathan Ramsden | EVP, CFO & CAO | Leadership |
Rocky Robins | EVP, Chief Legal & Governance Officer | Leadership |
Bruce K. Thorn | President & CEO | Leadership |
Stella Gary-Keane | Vice President Talent Management | Leadership |
Justin Oren | Director Financial Reporting | Leadership |
Jeffery Sparrow | General Manager Operations | Leadership |
Greg Schumacher | Director, Finance And HR Application Development | Leadership |
Chris Means | Vice President, Total Rewards | Leadership |
Richard Locicero | Assistant General Manager | Leadership |
April Birch | Director, Sales Audit And Inventory Control | Leadership |
Shelley Rubin | VP Advertising | Leadership |
Jennifer Mundorf | Director Talent Development | Leadership |
Barbi Wehring | General Manager | Leadership |
Mike Robey | Vice President, Internal Audit | Leadership |
38 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Big Lots
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IPO & Listings of Big Lots
Big Lots is a publicly listed company on the OTC with ticker symbol BIGGQ in USA, operating in the Retail trade sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date21 Jun 1985
- Listed onNYSE: BIG
- Listed entityBig Lots, Inc.
- Exchange sectorRetail trade
- ISINUS0893021032
- Share price$0.00 (+9900% on the day) · 2026-10-13
- Market capitalisation$2,969.00
- Volume (last session)334
Financials of Big Lots
| Year | Revenue | Net income | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $4.72B | -$481.9M | -$234.9M |
| 2022 | $5.47B | -$210.7M | $237.1M |
| 2021 | $6.15B | $177.8M | $655.0M |
| 2020 | $6.20B | $629.2M | $784.6M |
Detailed financial statements for Big Lots
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Investments & Acquisitions by Big Lots
Big Lots has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Hearthsong.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of kids toys, swings, games, and more to nurture every child's sense of imagination and creativity | hearthsong.com | Charlottesville, United States | 1983 | Feb 2024 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Big Lots
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Timeline of Big Lots
5 dated milestones of Big Lots across 58 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Big Lots is founded.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Funding First funding round of $2.3M.
- Acquisition Acquires Hearthsong.
- Exit Acquired by Gordon Brothers.
Web traffic of Big Lots
The website of Big Lots (biglots.com) receives about 597.3K visits a month.
- Monthly visits597.3K
▼ 27.8% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Big Lots. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| costco.com | 100% | 100.9M | #323 | View details | |
| target.com | 100% | 208.7M | #155 | View details | |
| dollartree.com | 97% | 10.8M | #4,853 | View details | |
| samsclub.com | 97% | 45.9M | #800 | View details | |
| walmart.com | 91% | 500.4M | #69 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Big Lots
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- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
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Top companies in Retail Stores & Chains
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Big Lots (Retail Stores & Chains) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home improvement products and services are retailed by Lowe's. | 1946 | Mooresville, North Carolina, United States | USD 86.29 B | 270,000 | ||
Office supplies and business products are distributed online to companies. | 1986 | Framingham, Massachusetts, United States | 13,447 | |||
Pet foods, products, and care services are provided by PetSmart. | 1987 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | USD 23.3 M |
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Related news about Big Lots
Complete news archive for Big Lots
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Frequently Asked Questions about Big Lots
Big Lots was founded in 1967 and raised its 1st funding round 51 years after it was founded.
Big Lots is headquartered in Columbus, United States. It is registered at Columbus, Ohio, United States.
Bruce Thorn is the CEO of Big Lots, as recorded in our data.
Annual revenue of Big Lots is $4.72B as on Jan 31, 2024.
The company was established in 1967 in Columbus, Ohio, within the retail sector. Discount merchandise, including packaged foods, beverages, toys, furniture, clothing, housewares, and small electronics, is sold through 1,464 stores across 47 U.S. states, an online platform, and a wholesale division for bulk resale. In 2021, annual revenues of 6.19 billion and net profit of 0.62 billion were achieved.
Yes, Big Lots is publicly traded on OTC under the ticker symbol BIGGQ.
Big Lots has made 1 acquisition, including Hearthsong.
Big Lots has 2 investors. Key investors include Gordon Brothers, and Putnam.
Big Lots operates through Maine Potato Growers, Inc.
Yes. Big Lots was acquired by Gordon Brothers in January 2025.
The website of Big Lots receives about 597 thousand visits a month.