Durant's Labor, Land Offer Lots to Big Retailer When Big Lots, Inc., the nation's largest broadline closeout retailer, was in search of a location for its fifth distribution center, they looked no further than Durant, Oklahoma.  The 125-acre site was chosen after evaluating sites in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, along with more than 50 locations in Oklahoma. Land, construction, labor costs and a variety of incentives were the key factors in the selection of Durant.
The Durant Big Lots project was offered the standard Warehouse/Distribution incentive package from the State of Oklahoma. Those incentives include the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program, a five-year property tax exemption, accelerated depreciation on assets, and Native American employee tax credits. Big Lots officials point to Durant's economic efficiencies and its large base of committed, hard-working people as reasons for their selection. "This facility is a solid addition to our supply chain initiative and has the capacity to accommodate future growth,"
- Michael Potter, Big Lots Chairman and CEO |
The Durant distribution center is expected to become the most efficient of Big Lots' five distribution centers thanks to the state-of-the-art sortation conveyor system. The system is the fastest of its kind ever used for a carton sortation operation with 40 shipping lanes processing 16,000 cartons per hour. 
Michael Potter |
About Big Lots, Inc.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. operates more than 1,400 retail stores serving 46 states. Five regional distribution centers ranging in size from 1 million to 3 million square feet provide the company's stores with brand name products from more than 3,000 manufacturers.
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Big Lots Distribution Center At-A-Glance:
| The $70 million Big Lots distribution center in Durant is the second largest investment in the history of the Durant and Bryan County, providing more than $11 million total payroll and nearly $1 million in increased area sales tax. | | This is the largest facility ever built in Durant and Bryan County. The center is 1.2 million square feet with nearly 50 million cubic feet of storage space, equivalent to 26 football fields. | | The center will initially serve 125 of Big Lots stores in the United States. At maximum capacity, it will be able to accommodate as many as 350 to 400 stores. | | Total investment in Oklahoma to date: $70 million | | Total current employment: 250. At full capacity it will provide as many as 500 jobs. |
Key Site Location Needs:
| Available labor force | | Available land | | Affordable construction and labor costs |
Oklahoma "One-Stop" Site Selection Team
| Oklahoma Department of Commerce | | Team Durant | | Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality | | Oklahoma Tax Commission | | Oklahoma Employment Security Commission | | CareerTech |
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Contact:
Charles Kimbrough
405-815-5361
800-879-6552
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