All Brands Owned by Variety Wholesalers, Inc.

What does Variety Wholesalers own?
Variety Wholesalers operates more than 600 retail stores under several banners: Roses (160 stores), Maxway (135 stores), Super 10 (85 stores under the Super Dollar, Bill's Dollar Stores, and Bargain Town names), and Big Lots (218 stores acquired in 2025). The company operates all of its banners directly rather than through franchising.

Is Variety Wholesalers publicly traded?
No. Variety Wholesalers, Inc. is a privately held company. It has never filed for an initial public offering and does not trade on any stock exchange. The Pope family is the sole owner.

Who founded Variety Wholesalers?
John William Pope founded the company in Henderson, North Carolina in 1930. He built the business as a variety store operation focused on closeout merchandise. His son, Art Pope, is the current CEO and principal owner.

Where is Variety Wholesalers headquartered?
The company is headquartered in Henderson, North Carolina, USA. Henderson is a small city in Vance County in the northern part of the state. The company has maintained its headquarters there since its founding in 1930.

How many brands does Variety Wholesalers own?
Variety Wholesalers operates eight retail banners across its four divisions: Big Lots, Roses, Roses Express, Maxway, Super Dollar, Bill's Dollar Stores, Bargain Town, and Super 10. Big Lots is the only banner with a dedicated brand page on Who Brands.

Who owns Variety Wholesalers?
The Pope family owns Variety Wholesalers. Art Pope, son of founder John William Pope, is the CEO and principal shareholder. The company has no outside investors, no private equity backing, and no debt from public markets. It has been family-owned for nearly a century.

How did Variety Wholesalers acquire Big Lots?
Gordon Brothers Retail Partners purchased substantially all assets of the bankrupt Big Lots, Inc. on January 3, 2025. Gordon Brothers then arranged for Variety Wholesalers to operate approximately 220 former Big Lots store locations under the Big Lots brand name. The original Big Lots corporate entity was converted to Chapter 7 liquidation in November 2025.

What is Variety Wholesalers' revenue?
The company does not disclose financial results. As a privately held corporation, Variety Wholesalers is not required to file public financial reports. Industry estimates based on store count and average discount retail revenue per store suggest annual revenue in the range of several hundred million dollars, but no verified figure is publicly available.