This week, the discount retail chain Big Lots will open dozens of new stores. The openings are the third part of a four-wave relaunch of the brand, which marks a radical turnaround for a chain that was expected to close every store permanently after it filed for bankruptcy last year. Here’s what you need to know about the latest round of Big Lots store openings. Big Lots back from bankruptcy brink Back in December 2024, Big Lots filed for bankruptcy after years of financial struggles. The company announced that it would close all of its 800 stores and permanently go out of business, and it brought in liquidation specialists Gordon Brothers to oversee the closure. But in a last-minute deal, Variety Wholesalers, which owns discount chains including Super Dollar and Bargain Town, swooped in and agreed to buy 219 Big Lots locations from Gordon Brothers. Variety then announced that it would reopen those locations after a brief period of closure for remodeling and restocking, and continue to operate them under the Big Lots brand. As Fast Company previously reported, those 219 Big Lots reopenings would be conducted in a phased approach made up of four waves: The first wave of stores opened in April. The second wave of stores opened in early May. This week, the third wave of that phased reopening begins. 78 more Big Lots locations to open on May 15 On Thursday, May 15, an additional 78 Big Lots stores will reopen in Variety Wholesalers’ third wave. The 78 store openings will occur in 13 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The state with the most openings in this wave is North Carolina with 16 openings, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 openings.  Here is the full list of Big Lots wave 3 openings: Alabama 14228 US Highway 431, Guntersville, AL, 35976   5510 McFarland Blvd, Northport, AL, 35476   1100 Hwy 78 W, Jasper, AL, 35501   2821 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL, 36303 Florida 4700 Highway 90, Marianna, FL, 32446   225 S Tyndall Pkwy, Panama City, FL, 32404   9119 Merrill Rd Ste 50, Jacksonville, FL, 32225   122 S Nova Rd, Ormond Beach, FL, 32174   146 SE US Highway 19, Crystal River, FL, 34429 Georgia 260 Merchants Square, Dallas, GA, 30132   2932 Canton Rd Ste 210, Marietta, GA, 30066   3791 S Cobb Dr SE Ste G, Smyrna, GA, 30080   4125 Highway 20, Ste A-2, Buford, GA, 30518   2305 E 1st St, Vidalia, GA, 30474   1803 Knight Ave Ste A2, Waycross, GA, 31501   4420 Altama Ave Ste C2, Brunswick, GA, 31520   Kentucky 400 Campbellsville Byp, Campbellsville, KY, 42718   294 Village Ln, Hazard, KY, 41701   845 S Main St, London, KY, 40741   102 N 12th St, Middlesboro, KY, 40965   345 N Hwy 27 Ste 5, Somerset, KY, 42503   Michigan 659 24th St, Port Huron, MI, 48060   14333 Eureka Rd, Southgate, MI, 48195 Mississippi 875 Main St, Southhaven, MS, 38671   North Carolina 685 S Hughes Blvd, Elizabeth City, NC, 27909   2725 Northwest Blvd, Newton, NC, 28658   1020 Crossroads Dr, Statesville, NC, 28625   376 West Plaza Drive, Mooresville, NC, 28117   403 N Generals Blvd, Lincolnton, NC, 28092   1728 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC, 28152   601 Park St, Belmont, NC, 28012   3718 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC, 27410   1811 S Church St, Burlington, NC, 27215   838 Winston Rd, Lexington, NC, 27295   1700 Raleigh Rd Pkwy W Ste 104, Wilson, NC, 27896   609 Greenville Blvd SE, Greenville, NC, 27858   1403 S Pollock St, Selma, NC, 27576   1140 W Broad St, Dunn, NC, 28334   3915 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC, 28311   3910 Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC, 28304 Ohio 3946 W Alexis Rd, Toledo, OH, 43623   1800 E State St, Fremont, OH, 43420   825 Cleveland St, Elyria, OH, 44035   408 Bluebell Dr NW, New Philadelphia, OH, 44663   2837 Winchester Pike, Columbus, OH, 43232   4260 West Broad St, Columbus, OH, 43228   3961 Hoover Rd, Grove City, OH, 43123   2050 E Dorothy Ln, Kettering, OH, 45420   1700 E Main St, Lancaster, OH, 43130   Pennsylvania 2215 W 12th St, Erie, PA, 16505   820 Water St, Meadville, PA, 16335   697 Allegheny Blvd, Franklin, PA, 16323   2611 Ellwood Rd, New Castle, PA, 16101   5522 Shaffer Rd Unit 7, Du Bois, PA, 15801   2431 Columbia Blvd, Bloomsburg, PA, 17815   156 Eagles Glen Plz Ste 190, East Stroudsburg, PA, 18301   1241 Blakeslee Boulevard Dr E, Lehighton, PA, 18235   3437 Simpson Ferry Rd, Camp Hill, PA, 17011   467 W Penn Ave, Cleona, PA, 17042   South Carolina 207 Oconee Square Dr, Seneca, SC, 29678   339 Bypass 72 NW, Greenwood, SC, 29649   421 Columbia Ave, Lexington, SC, 29072   3230 Augusta Rd, West Columbia, SC, 29170 Tennessee 3110 E Oakland Ave, Johnson City, TN, 37601   2342 E Andrew Johnson Hwy, Morristown, TN, 37814   1475 E Andrew Johnson Hwy, Greeneville, TN, 37745   116 S Hall Rd, Alcoa, TN, 37701   201 Forks of the River Parkway, Sevierville, TN, 37862   264 E Broadway Blvd, Jefferson City, TN, 37760   Virginia 260 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630   10611 Courthouse Rd, Fredericksburg, VA, 22407   10001 Hull Street Rd, North Chesterfield, VA, 23236   2660 Weir Place, Chester, VA, 23831   5260 Oaklawn Blvd, North Prince George, VA, 23860   4318 George Washington Mem Hwy, Yorktown, VA, 23692   West Virginia 291 Mall Rd, Oak Hill, WV, 25901   4522 Robert C Byrd Dr, Beckley, WV, 25801   1350 Stafford Dr, Princeton, WV, 24740   Future Big Lots reopenings Thursday’s openings will represent the third wave of Variety Wholesaler’s four-phased Big Lots reopening rollout. With Thursday’s opening of another 78 locations, that will bring Big Lots’ total reopenings to 141. That means the final 78 openings of the 219 total planned stores will happen in wave 4, which is currently scheduled for June.