PEORIA, Ill. – A national discount retailer that’s quickly expanding will open up one location in Peoria soon, and one in Pekin not long after that.
“Ollie’s Bargain Outlet” will open in the Willow Knolls Court shopping center sometime in September, with a grand opening date to be announced.
“You’ll see a lot of news stories about the fact that big box retailers and a lot of manufacturers are cutting inventories. That’s actually where we shine,” said Tom Kuypers, Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We’re able to pick up great deals from those guys, and we supply them to our stores, and offer them to the public, at up to 70 percent of the price they’d normally find.”
The Peoria store is the second in Illinois behind Aurora and one of more than 450 nationwide. One is planned for Pekin sometime next year.
“America loves a bargain,” said Kuypers. “We have found, whether the economy is good or bad, that holds true. We particularly shine when customers’ wallets are strapped. We can offer value.”
Kuypers says 50 to 60 people will be employed by the Peoria store, and most of the company’s store managers started out as employees. He says the publicly traded company is also charitable, recently wrapping up a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, which could end up being a big help to Peoria’s OSF Children’s Hospital.
The retailer does not sell merchandise online.
