Big Lots bankruptcy triggers WARN layoffs, Columbus distribution center closes

Big Lots told workers at its Columbus distribution center that the site at 300 Phillipi Road would permanently close no later than October 31, 2024, and that 379 employees would be terminated. The notice, filed September 4, 2024, also said affected workers would receive pay and benefits through November 3, 2024, turning a local warehouse shutdown into a sharp test of how much warning retail workers can actually count on.

The closure landed as Big Lots was already sliding deeper into bankruptcy. The company filed Chapter 11 on September 9, 2024, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, and its cases were later converted to Chapter 7 effective November 10, 2025, according to the Kroll Restructuring Administration case site. That path matters for workers because bankruptcy can accelerate store and facility closures, but it does not erase the basic question of notice: when does a cut become big enough to trigger WARN?

Under the federal WARN Act, employers with 100 or more employees generally must give at least 60 calendar days of advance written notice for qualifying plant closings and mass layoffs affecting 50 or more employees at a single site of employment. The U.S. Department of Labor says notice also goes to employees’ representatives, the local chief elected official and the state dislocated worker unit. WARN is designed to buy time, not block a shutdown, and it does not cover every reduction in force. State mini-WARN laws can add another layer of protection, which is why workers should never assume federal notice is the full story.

Big Lots had already signaled sweeping change before the bankruptcy filing. In July 2024, the retailer said it could close as many as 315 stores nationwide, up from an earlier cap of 150 under lender terms. As closing signs spread across stores and rumors picked up in distribution and support jobs, the company’s moves showed how WARN questions often surface long before the final liquidation stage, when workers still need site-specific notice to understand what is happening at their own location.

That is where the Columbus notice becomes especially important. It identified the affected site, the closure deadline, the number of employees hit and the absence of a union representative and bumping rights. For workers, those details turn uncertainty into a deadline they can act on. The Department of Labor says Rapid Response services can help with unemployment insurance, health insurance options, training resources, job search help, resume preparation, interviewing skills and other support, often before the layoff date if teams can get on site. In a retail collapse, that notice period may be the only leverage workers get before the doors close for good.