Tennessee
Why Big Lots announced going out of business sales at remaining locations. What to know about closures in Tennessee

Big Lots: Rising inflation forcing retailer to close dozens of stores
Big Lots plans to close 35-40 stores this year, highlighting economic challenges facing large retailers. The closures include four stores in Michigan.
Big Lots has closed over 400 stores in 2024 and has now announced going out business sales across its remaining locations.
On Thursday, Big Lots announced in a news release that it did not anticipate a sale to Nexus Capital Management going through. In this deal, Nexus Capital Management would have taken over Big Lots by early January helping the chain achieve financial stability.
Here’s what to know about Big Lots closures in Tennessee.
Is Big Lots closing all its stores?
Big Lots does not have any plans to close all of its stores yet. The going out of business (GOB) sales are a way for the company “protect the value of its estate,” according to their statement. The goal is for the sales to allow Big Lots to continue being a company that is financially stable enough to meet obligations and continue business in the near future.
“We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale. While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process,” said Bruce Thorn, Big Lots’ President and Chief Executive Officer,
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September after announcing the original plan to close less than 50 stores in July. There have been over 400 stores announced for closure since then.
Which Big Lots stores in Tennessee are closing?
As previously reported by USA TODAY, the stores closing in Tennessee include two stores outside Nashville and one in northwest Tennessee. They are:
There has been one store added to the closing list:
How many Big Lots are there in Tennessee?
There are a total of 47, soon to be 43, Big Lots stores across Tennessee. Locations include Chattanooga, Clarksville, Memphis, Knoxville and more. A complete list of Big Lots stores can be found at local.biglots.com/tn.
Why is Big Lots closing stores?
High inflation and interest rates are impacting Big Lots like many other stores. Additionally, a news release from the company said economic trends like customer spending on home and seasonal products, have affected the company’s revenue.
The company had previously reported that sales in the first quarter of 2024 fell more than 10% compared to the previous year. The company did perform better in the second quarter, yielding improved comp sales.
“While the company’s underlying performance has been improving, the Board of Directors conducted a broad strategic review of alternatives and determined that entering into the Sale Agreement with Nexus, and initiating a court-supervised sale process, is the best path forward to maximize value and ensure continued operations,” wrote Big Lots in the news release.

Tennessee
Tennessee football sells out season tickets for third-straight year
Tennessee has sold out its football season ticket allotment for the third-straight year, the school announced Tuesday.
The ticket inventory totaled 70,500 and marks the fourth time in 24 seasons that the program has sold out. The current steak began in May 2023.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
“Vol Nation continues to lead the way as the best fan base in all of sports,” Tennessee athletics director Danny White said in a release. “In this era of college athletics, it is almost unheard of to sell out over 70,000 season tickets for three consecutive seasons. The Neyland Effect will be in full force on Rocky Top this fall!”
Tennessee has 20 consecutive home sell-outs, including an average of 101,915 fans and a combined attendance of 713,405 at seven home games during the 2024 season.
Both marks rank sixth nationally.
The Vols have been dominant on their home turf over the last three seasons, boasting an SEC-best 20-1 record with its lone loss to then-No. 1 Georgia in November 2022.
Tennessee has won multiple home games against rivals Alabama and Florida in 2022 and 2024 during that run.
The Vols, who are coming off of their first-ever College Football Playoff run, are set to open their 2025 season against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 31, before their home opener vs. ETSU on Sept. 6.
Tennessee will play seven home games with match ups against Georgia (Sept. 13), Arkansas (Oct. 11) and Oklahoma (Nov. 1) featured on the schedule.
Tennessee
BBB warns of online romance scams as West Tennessee women fall victim – WBBJ TV

JACKSON, Tenn. — Over the past three weeks, West Tennessee women have fallen victim to online romance scams, losing thousands of dollars to who they thought was their new found love.
Scammers stole a reported nearly $50,000 from two local women, just over the last month. That’s according to the Better Business Bureau, and recent reports from women — one as close as Hardeman County — who said they have been scammed out of nearly $24,000 each from an online love interest.
Both victims said the men they were talking to online told them they were in the military, claiming they couldn’t access their bank accounts due to being out of the country.
The BBB of the Mid-South says scammers often use “hard luck stories” to manipulate people into sending money.
“This is how the money becomes involved, so before moving on to asking you for money, the scammer may say, ‘Oh, I’m having some financial troubles. My heat may be getting cut off,’” said Toddnetta Trice, Communication Specialist for the BBB of the Mid-South.
Experts warn that many scammers steal photos from other social media accounts and pretend it is them. You can do a reverse image lookup using many sites like Google to see if the images are stolen from someone else.
Also, be wary of those who talk about the importance of trust. Experts say this will often be the first step to asking you for money.
“Unfortunately when it comes to the money aspect, a lot of the times that’s a lose-lose,” Trice said. “There is no way of getting your money back, but you definitely want to report it. You can always report it to our BBB Scam Tracker.”
The Scam Tracker is a free tool anyone can use to report scammers. Click here for more.
If you have lost more than $40,000 due to fraud, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, another avenue for reporting online crimes. Click here for more.
For more local news, click here.
Tennessee
Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus cozy up on ‘Tennessee weekend’ after debuting romance

No more achy breaky heart.
Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus looked very cozy on a ranch in new photos posted Sunday after going public with their romance.
The couple was seen smiling and cuddling up against a tree, while another shot showed them sitting in an off-road vehicle next to a black-and-white dog.
Hurley captioned the post, “Tennessee weekend ❤️.”
The pair hard-launched their relationship last week on Easter Sunday with a picture of Cyrus, 63, giving the actress a kiss on the cheek.
Days later, Hurley, 59, shared a video of the two riding off into the sunset on the ranch.
A source told Page Six that Cyrus and Hurley’s romance is “very new.”
“They’ve been friends for a long time and both found themselves single at the same time,” the insider said, admitting it was surprising they went public so soon.
“The romantic side started only a few weeks ago.”
Meanwhile, Hurley’s close friends, including Elton John, are said to be confused by her attraction to Cyrus.
“Liz’s friends think it must be a joke or madness, but they aren’t saying it to her,” a knowledgeable source told us.
“Elton may not understand this relationship, and is a bit bemused by it. But for all his faults, Elton is really loyal to Liz.”
However, an insider close to the “Austin Powers” star claims Cyrus is exactly who she’s been looking for.
“She’s been waiting a long time for romance,” a pal told Page Six, confirming Hurley traveled to the “Hannah Montana” alum’s Nashville property.
“I think she likes the whole cowboy thing.”
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