Claremont Big Lots among nearly 300 stores company plans to close

CLAREMONT — Big Lots, a discount home goods retailer, is closing its store on Washington Street in Claremont, in addition to nearly 300 locations nationwide, according to the company website. 

The Claremont store, which has about six employees, including managers, is expected to close in mid-October, a store employee said on Monday.

Big Lots, which has 1,389 locations in the U.S., has been incurring operating losses since 2022 — including a net loss of $205 million between April 2023 and May 4, according to the company’s quarterly financial report in May.

As of this week, Big Lots has announced closures of 289 of its locations nationwide, according to the company’s website. The closures include 18 locations in New England states, including two in Vermont, one in Maine, five in Massachusetts and nine in Connecticut. The Claremont store is the only one of six New Hampshire locations slated to close. 

Big Lots in Claremont is advertising a 20% discount on the majority of its inventory, the company’s website stated. 

The Claremont store is located in the Claremont Plaza, whose businesses include America’s Mattress, Domino’s Pizza, Dollar Tree and Aaron’s Electronics.