Ollie’s Bargain Outlet opened its first North Jersey store on Thursday, moving into a former Big Lots at 550 Mount Pleasant Ave. in Dover, right next to Home Depot and not far from Rockaway Townsquare mall. The closeout retailer held its grand-opening event at 9 a.m., marking a milestone expansion for a chain that has spent the past two years scooping up vacated Big Lots real estate across the state and the country.
The company describes itself as “America’s largest retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory,” according to a company announcement promoting the Dover opening. As reported by northjersey.com, the Dover store gives Ollie’s a foothold in North Jersey for the first time, while its 11 other New Jersey locations — in Bridgeton, Browns Mills, Cherry Hill, Clementon, Deptford, Egg Harbor Township, Hamilton, Lawrence Township, Lumberton, Old Bridge and Toms River — remain concentrated in Central and South Jersey, spanning Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Ocean counties.
What Shoppers Will Find on the Shelves
Ollie’s bills itself as a discount retailer specializing in closeout and bargain merchandise, with the Dover store stocking books, food, toys, electronics, home goods, furniture, flooring, seasonal items, cleaning supplies and hardware, per northjersey.com’s report. The chain’s own marketing for the Dover opening promises deals at up to 70% off “the fancy stores’ prices,” according to the ollies.com announcement.
The new store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Ollie’s said in its grand-opening post. The company’s announcement did not break out separate weekend hours, though northjersey.com’s report on the opening listed Sunday hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the location — a detail not independently confirmed elsewhere.
A Chain Still Feeding on Big Lots’ Collapse
The Dover opening is the latest step in a broader land grab that began after Big Lots filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2024, according to Retail TouchPoints. Ollie’s announced in February 2025 that it had acquired 40 additional former Big Lots store leases from Gordon Brothers, a deal that was subject to final bankruptcy court approval and customary closing conditions, bringing its total to 63 former Big Lots leases acquired to that point, the company said in an investor release…