Big Lots distribution center in Montgomery to close; nearly 500 people to lose jobs

The store on Atlanta Highway is one of three Big Lots in the area./Source: WAKA Action 8 News

Big Lots has announced that it will be closing its distribution center in Montgomery, which will result in the loss of 491 jobs.

The distribution center is located on U.S. Highway 80, near the Montgomery Regional Airport.

The Alabama Department of Commerce has posted a notice of the layoffs on its website, which are scheduled to start today. The layoff announcement is required by the federal WARN notice. The notice was made on December 24.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said this morning that he has not been in touch with anyone from Big Lots and has no information about the layoffs.

Action 8 News has been following the struggles of Big Lots since last year. In September, the company announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In mid-December, it announced going out of business sales at all of its stores. But by the end of the month, it said it had made a deal to keep 200-400 stores open. Earlier in 2024, Big Lots had about 1,400 stores.

It is not known which stores will remain open nationwide, but Montgomery’s store has a store closing banner posted.