Big Lots Store to Open in Eagan Town Centre

Eagan Director of Community Development, Jon Hohenstein, confirmed Tuesday that the city has received a building permit application to convert the space at 1284 Town Centre Drive to a Big Lots discount retail store.

The site is currently home to an Office Depot, which is scheduled to officially close on May 28. 

Ohio-based Big Lots buys up excess inventory and close-out items—everything from furniture to groceries—and offers it to the public at significant discounts.

The 2010 Big Lots annual report indicates that the company is expading:

"This strategy enables us to open stores in the strongest retail trade areas or 'power strips' in a given market … retail trade areas with better demographics (population density or household income), stronger retail brands surrounding us driving traffic to the center, and oftentimes a customer base that we are not currently serving with our traditional locations. We believe we are attracting a meaningful number of new customers to our 'A' store format — customers who may not have a Big Lots store in their normal shopping pattern."

According to Hohenstein, "Eagan in general and the Town Centre/Promenade area in particular are attractive to retailers because of the large concentration of buying power in both our residential and business communities."  

Hohenstein pointed to Eagan's 64,000 residents and the city's additional 50,000 employees of Eagan businesses as "an attractive customer base" for existing businesses and those entering the market.

Big Lots currently has two Twin Cities locations in Brooklyn Park and .