20-03-2025
Ocean State Job Lot sets opening plans for first Ocean County store
BARNEGAT -- Ocean State Job Lot, in the midst of acquiring more than a dozen Big Lots stores in eight states, will open its new, and first, Ocean County location by midsummer, the company said Thursday.
In New Jersey, Ocean State Job Lot, a discount retailer, is in the process of buying the former Big Lots store on Route 9 in Barnegat as well as locations in Somers Point and Cape May. Big Lots was the anchor tenant at Barnegat's Bayshore Plaza, leasing a 29,797-square-foot storefront there.
The 12 other former Best Lot locations are in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
'This is an exciting chapter for us,' said Marc Perlman, Ocean State Job Lot's principal owner and CEO, in a statement. 'Expanding into new markets has long been part of our strategic plan, but like everything else we do, it needs to be done with value in mind.
What's Going There? First Hobby Lobby coming to Ocean County, replacing this Christmas Tree Shops store
"We look forward to introducing our unique brand, friendly service and extraordinary savings to customers in each of these new communities.'
Ocean State Job Lot sells name brand and close-out merchandise at discount prices. The changing variety of items include household goods, apparel, pet supplies, seasonal products, kitchen pantry staples and gourmet and specialty food items.
The retailer has a history of taking over storefronts vacated by troubled retailers. In Monmouth County, Ocean State Job Lot's store in Freehold Township is a former Toys R Us location. In Holmdel, it's now in a store formerly occupied by Stein Mart.
Big Lots filed for bankruptcy protection last September and was ultimately sold to Gordon Brothers, the asset manager, which ran going-out-of-business sales. The company also has been transferring leases to other retailers interested in opening stores, which besides Ocean State Job Lot includes Ollie's Bargain Outlet.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@ Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean State Job Lot will open Barnegat store by summer 2025
