Ocean State Job Lot Purchases Former Big Lots, Webster Plaza for $14.5M

Ocean State Job Lot has announced it has acquired the Webster Commons shopping plaza, previously home to a Big Lots store, at 112-120 E. Main St. in Webster in a $14.5-million purchase. The real estate transaction was finalized on Feb. 12, 2025, with an entity managed by Virginia-based WHLR Real Estate Investment Trust, the Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) reported.

The plaza spans approximately 9.5 acres and includes a 37,024-square-foot space that Big Lots vacated following the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration. Webster Commons has several tenants, including Aubuchon Hardware, CVS, Papa Gino's, Planet Fitness, and The Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Ocean State's purchase of Webster Commons is part of the company's purchase of 14 properties home to former Big Lots storefronts. Ocean State manages more than 7.5 million square feet of real estate across over 70 shopping centers in several states, including New England, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Ocean State declined to state whether it will open a store in the Webster Commons shopping plaza. If Ocean State opened a storefront there, it would be its ninth store operating in Central Massachusetts. Ocean State has stores in Athol, Gardner, Marlborough, Medway, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Westborough, and Whitinsville. The company has more than 150 stores in its portfolio.

The WBJ noted that the Town of Webster property records list Webster Commons' 2025 tax-assessed value at $14.5 million.