Big Lots to close all North Bay locations

Big Lots is set to close all its North Bay locations sometime this year citing financial constraints and falling sales.

The discount retailer did not respond to requests for comment, but webpages for each North Bay location had banners that said “Closing this location,” and the stores in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park each had a sign up announcing the closure.

Big Lots has four other North Bay locations besides Santa Rosa, including Rohnert Park, Vacaville, Fairfield and Ukiah.

Phone calls to the Fairfield location were unanswered, but store employees at the other locations confirmed the location closures.

A final closing date has not been announced but a few employees said their stores could close at the end of September.

The Ohio-based company announced the decision to close between 35 and 40 locations this year in its regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first quarter ending May 4.

The filing did not disclose which locations were on the chopping block. There are currently 109 Big Lots locations across California.

It also said it expects to see further operating losses and holds “substantial doubt” about the company’s ability to continue operating.

The company saw a net loss of $205 million in the quarter, according to its SEC filing, with net sales experiencing a 10% decline during the same period.

CEO Bruce Thorn said the company sales have been impacted by American consumers pulling back on spending due to inflation and economic uncertainty, according to reporting from CBS.

Big Lots is the latest discount retailer to announce store closures following 99 Cents Only Stores closing all locations just a month after Dollar Tree announced in March it would close nearly 1,000 stores.

Dollar Tree, which already has two stores in Rohnert Park, is opening an additional one in a former 99 Cents Only Stores location on Rohnert Park Expressway later this year.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.