The new store, which actually opened for business on March 6, is 33,700-square-feet, according to Big Lots spokeswoman Toni Fink.
“This new store offers us a larger space and strong co-tenants,” Fink said in an email. “This allows us to use our current and most-shopper friendly layout and provides for better product presentation storewide.”
During Friday’s grand opening celebration, Big Lots district manager Beth Graham presented $1,500 to Creekview Elementary School in Middletown.
Big Lots leased its former location and the new space. At Eastgate Plaza, it joins other shopping center tenants such as Tractor Supply Co. and Save-A-Lot.
A typical store has 40 to 50 employees, Fink said.
Columbus, Ohio-based discount retail chain Big Lots Inc. first opened a Middletown store in 1992, also according to Fink. Big Lots says it stocks merchandise that sells up to 70 percent below traditional retailers.