Burlington expands rapidly, taking former Big Lots locations and jobs competition

Burlington’s latest growth burst is bigger than a store-opening story. For discount retail workers, it is a sign that off-price chains are still hiring, still expanding and still circling the same vacant spaces and the same customers Big Lots has relied on.

Burlington said on May 4 that it was opening 26 stores in 20 states in May and expected to pass 100 openings by the end of 2026. WWD reported earlier this spring that the company planned a record 110 new stores in fiscal 2026, would end the year with about 1,320 locations and was adding a 2-million-square-foot distribution center in Savannah, Georgia. That kind of growth does not just reshape the store map, it reshapes the labor market around it.

Michael O’Sullivan has been blunt about where some of those locations are coming from. He said Burlington has picked up sites from bankrupt retailers including Big Lots, Bed Bath & Beyond and Jo-Ann Fabrics, calling them good real estate that became available because of other business problems. In practice, that means Burlington is not only opening new doors, it is often stepping into neighborhoods where a Big Lots once anchored the bargain end of the shopping center.

For Big Lots employees, that matters in two directions. A new Burlington nearby can mean a real outside option for stock associates, cashiers and shift leads who are already used to the pace of discount retail. It can also tighten the squeeze on store managers trying to keep schedules filled, especially in markets where the same workers can move between chains with similar pay bands, similar hours and similar pressure to keep shelves turned quickly.

It also tells you something about the customer fight. Burlington’s growth is built on the same budget-conscious shopper Big Lots has depended on, the customer comparing prices, hunting for basics and expecting value without a long shopping trip. When Burlington moves into a former Big Lots space in Henrico, Virginia, or into the Bay Plaza shopping center in National City, California, it is not just filling empty square footage. It is taking a shot at the same household budget.

The contrast with Big Lots is stark. The company filed for Chapter 11 on September 9, 2024, later converted those cases to Chapter 7 effective November 10, 2025, and USA TODAY reported in October 2024 that it was closing more than 340 stores. Variety Wholesalers bought 219 Big Lots stores out of bankruptcy in 2025, and the company now says the rebuilt chain will operate 219 stores in 15 states across the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

That makes Burlington’s expansion feel less like a side note and more like a read on the sector. Off-price retail is still spending, still hiring and still fighting for the same shoppers and workers that Big Lots is trying to keep.