LW Stores
LW Stores was a Canadian closeout retailer and liquidation-services company that operated under the Liquidation World name before becoming a Big Lots subsidiary and closing in 2014.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
LW Stores, Inc. was a Canadian closeout and liquidation retailer that sold surplus, discontinued, overstocked, and other consumer merchandise through a network of stores in Canada and the United States. The business was established in 1986 under the name Liquidation World, opening its first store at 3900 29 St NE in northeast Calgary, Alberta. It subsequently developed into what was described as Canada’s largest liquidator, with stores across Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, supported by more than 1,200 employees in its stores and offices. The company’s retail model was based on acquiring and selling merchandise outside conventional full-price retail channels. Its inventory could include goods from business closures, excess stock, discontinued ranges, distressed retailers, and other liquidation situations. This gave the chain a changing assortment rather than a stable, tightly curated product range. The company also operated beyond ordinary store retailing. It provided store-closure sales management and asset-recovery services for financial-services firms, insurers, manufacturers, and other organizations that needed to monetize inventory or manage the physical liquidation of a business. Liquidation World began operating in the United States in the early 1990s. Its American expansion relied in part on retail locations that had become available after the failure of other chains. Several former Ernst Home Centers locations were acquired in the late 1990s. The U.S. operation did not maintain its initial scale, however. As sales declined, most American stores were closed, leaving three locations by 2007. The final U.S. store, in Spokane, Washington, closed in April 2010 after approximately fifteen years of operation in the market. The corporate identity changed from Liquidation World, Inc. to LW Stores, Inc. in 2010. In 2011, the company became a subsidiary of Big Lots, a large American closeout retailer. The acquisition connected LW Stores with Big Lots’ broader closeout-retailing organization, but the Canadian operations were ultimately not retained. In December 2013, Big Lots announced that it would close all LW Stores and Big Lots stores in Canada while concentrating on its American retail business. The Canadian closures were completed by February 2014, ending LW Stores’ retail operations. LW Stores is therefore a defunct retailer rather than an active consumer brand. Its historical significance lies in its role in Canadian liquidation retail, its nationwide provincial footprint, its U.S. expansion and retrenchment, and its additional business of managing retail closures and recovering value from commercial assets.
History
LW Stores originated in Calgary, Alberta, in 1986 as Liquidation World. Its first store opened at 3900 29 St NE in northeast Calgary. The company built its business around liquidation retail: it sold consumer goods obtained through overstock, discontinuations, closures, and other nontraditional inventory channels. Unlike a conventional department store, its merchandise mix changed according to the opportunities available in the liquidation market. The chain expanded throughout western and eastern Canada and operated stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. It became the largest liquidator in Canada and employed more than 1,200 people across its stores and offices. In addition to retailing, it offered store-closure sales management and asset-recovery services to financial institutions, insurance companies, manufacturers, and other organizations seeking to dispose of inventory or recover value from business assets. The company entered the United States in the early 1990s. Its expansion included properties formerly occupied by failed or bankrupt retailers, including several former Ernst Home Centers locations obtained in the late 1990s. The American business later contracted as sales declined. By 2007, only three U.S. stores remained, and the last one, in Spokane, Washington, closed in April 2010 after about fifteen years of operation. In 2010, Liquidation World, Inc. changed its name to LW Stores, Inc. The following year, Big Lots acquired the company and operated it as a subsidiary. The relationship did not lead to a long-term continuation of the Canadian chain. In December 2013, Big Lots stated that it would close all LW Stores and Big Lots locations in Canada in order to focus on its U.S. retail operations. The Canadian stores had all closed by February 2014. LW Stores consequently became a defunct retail chain, while its history remained associated with Canadian closeout retail and commercial liquidation services.
- 2014
Canadian operations end
[1]All Canadian locations had closed by February, ending the LW Stores chain.
- 2013
Canadian closure announced
[1]Big Lots announced plans to close all LW Stores and Big Lots locations in Canada.
- 2011
Becomes a Big Lots subsidiary
[1]Big Lots acquired LW Stores and added the Canadian chain to its corporate structure.
- 2010
Final U.S. store closes
[1]The last American location, in Spokane, Washington, closed in April.
- 2010
Corporate name changes to LW Stores
[1]Liquidation World, Inc. adopted the LW Stores, Inc. name.
- 2007
U.S. footprint reduced to three stores
[1]Declining sales led the company to close most of its American locations, leaving three U.S. stores.
- 1997
Former Ernst Home Centers locations enter the network
[1]Several former Ernst Home Centers stores were acquired in the late 1990s as part of the company’s U.S. expansion.
- 1990
U.S. expansion begins
[1]Liquidation World began operating stores in the United States during the early 1990s.
- 1990
Canadian network expands nationally
[1]The chain grew across several Canadian provinces and became the country’s largest liquidation retailer.
- 1986
First Liquidation World store opens in Calgary
[1]The business opened its first store at 3900 29 St NE in northeast Calgary, Alberta, under the Liquidation World name.
Products and positioning
A value-oriented liquidation retailer offering changing assortments of closeout and surplus merchandise, supplemented by professional inventory-liquidation and asset-recovery services.
Retail merchandise · 1986
Liquidation and closeout merchandise
LW Stores sold changing assortments of consumer merchandise acquired through liquidation channels. The inventory could include surplus stock, discontinued products, overstock, and goods released through retailer or business closures. Because the company’s supply depended on available liquidation opportunities, its stores were characterized by variable selection rather than a fixed assortment of permanent product lines.
Liquidation services
Store-closure sales management
The company provided services for managing sales associated with store closures. This extended its role beyond operating its own outlets and allowed organizations with excess or stranded inventory to use LW Stores’ liquidation expertise and retail channels to dispose of merchandise.
Commercial services
Asset-recovery services
LW Stores also addressed asset-recovery needs for financial-services companies, insurers, manufacturers, and other organizations. The service focused on helping clients recover value from inventory and related commercial assets, particularly in situations involving closures, insolvency, or excess goods.
Brand decisions
2013
Exit from Canadian retail operationsStrategyBackground
Big Lots decided to concentrate on its retail operations in the United States.
Action taken
Big Lots announced the closure of all LW Stores and Big Lots stores in Canada.
Aftermath
The Canadian locations were closed by February 2014, ending LW Stores’ operations.
2011
Acquisition by Big LotsM&ABackground
LW Stores operated as a Canadian liquidation retailer with a reduced U.S. presence.
Action taken
Big Lots acquired LW Stores and operated it as a subsidiary.
Aftermath
LW Stores remained in operation under the Big Lots corporate structure until the Canadian closure process began.
2010
Rebrand from Liquidation World to LW StoresStrategyBackground
The retailer had operated as Liquidation World, Inc. since its founding in 1986.
Action taken
The company changed its corporate name to LW Stores, Inc.
Aftermath
The new name was used until the chain ceased operations in 2014.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/lw-stores · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled