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_(26652167408).jpg) An Ollie's Bargain Outlet inWoonsocket, Rhode Island | |
| Ollie's Bargain Outlet | |
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | Discount retail |
| Founded | July 29, 1982; 43 years ago (July 29, 1982) inMechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Number of locations | 618[1] |
Area served | United States |
Key people |
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| Products | Gifts, housewares, food, flooring, books, toys, hardware, electronics, clothing, lawn and garden, health and beauty, sporting goods, pet supplies, automotive, seasonal |
| Brands | Various |
| Revenue |  US$2.102 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 12,792[3] (2025) |
| Website | www |
Ollie's Bargain Outlet is an Americandiscount store chain. It was founded inMechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1982 by Morton Bernstein, Mark Butler, Harry Coverman, and Oliver "Ollie" Rosenberg, the company's namesake. As of September 2025[update], the chain has 618 locations in 34 states. Its selection of merchandise comprises a variety of discounted items, mostlyoverstock orcloseout merchandise that is purchased in bulk from other retailers and sold at discounted prices. Ollie's Bargain Outlet stores feature advertisements and signage with caricatures of Rosenberg, and the chain's slogan "good stuff cheap."
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Ollie's Bargain Outlet was founded in 1982 inMechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Merchandiser Mort Bernstein owned alumber yard called Lawrence Millwork,[4] but was proving unsuccessful due to an unfavorable economy. While inBoston, Massachusetts, Bernstein visitedBuilding 19, a localsurplus store chain, and decided to create a similar store of his own. Through connections with local business owners Harry Coverman and Mark Butler, Bernstein presented his concept to business owner Oliver "Ollie" Rosenberg, who also visited Building 19 for himself and agreed to assist the others in the venture.[5][4] He financed the opening of the first store and served as its namesake.[4][6] The first Ollie's Bargain Outlet opened for business on July 29, 1982, in a former Lawrence Millwork location on Carlisle Pike (US 11) in Mechanicsburg. The initial store sold surplus andoverstock items.[4] The store began advertising itself with cartoon caricatures of Rosenberg drawn by various free-lance artists. These ads often feature handwritten lettering andpuns or jokes, leading Rosenberg to compare them to a newspaper comic strip.[5]
By 1987, Ollie's Bargain Outlet had opened two more stores: one inLower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, and a third inYork, Pennsylvania. At the time, Rosenberg noted that all three stores were achieving approximately $1,000,000 in annual sales, typically by sellingoverstock andcloseout items, as well as items acquired from other companies that had filed for bankruptcy.[6] The Lower Paxton Township store relocated to a larger building in late 1988.[7] In 1990, Ollie's opened its fourth location, taking a formerChannel Home Centers location on the west side of York inWest Manchester Township.[8] This was followed two years later by a location inBrooklyn Park, Maryland, also in a former Channel Home Center. By this point, Coverman and Butler were respectively president and vice-president of the chain.[9] The sixth and seventh stores, respectively located inLancaster, Pennsylvania, andDundalk, Maryland, both opened in early 1993.[10] Rosenberg died of ananeurysm at age 75 on March 26, 1996.[11]
Despite Rosenberg's death, the chain continued to expand throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland, and opened its 20th location inPottsville, Pennsylvania, in late 2000.[12] Further growth ensued throughout the beginning of the 21st century; by February 2005, the chain had opened its 36th store and was reporting annual sales of $150,000,000. At the time, Butler was both president andchief executive officer of the company.[13]
In 2008, the chain consolidated its four distribution warehouses into one located in York, Pennsylvania. In 2014, the chain opened its second distribution center inCommerce, Georgia.[14]
On July 16, 2015, Ollie's began trading onNasdaq under the stock symbol OLLI.[15][16]
In 2017, Ollie's total sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time in the company's history.[17]
In December 2019, Ollie's announced that John Swygert would become president and CEO of the company following the death of Mark Butler on December 1, 2019. Swygert had previously been executive vice president and chief operating officer of Ollie's since January 2018.[18]
In 2021, overall net sales were reported and fell 3.1% to $1.753 billion.[19]
In March 2025, Ollie's purchased 63 store leases from its competitorBig Lots following that chain's closure, with the intent to convert those locations to Ollie's stores by the end of 2025.[20]
The Ollie's Bargain Outlet business model involves purchasing merchandise directly from manufacturers and other retailers, in bulk and selling in smaller quantities to customers with the minimum operational and distribution costs; resulting in discounted products to be sold in Ollie's stores. The merchandise selection consists of a variety of manufacturer's overruns, overstocks and packaging changes, as well as selected other products. The company is especially focused on buying and selling closeouts.[4] The chain's slogan is "good stuff cheap".[6]
In 2004, Ollie's Bargain Outlet became a sponsor ofNASCAR driverDave Blaney.[21]
The Ollie's Cares Charitable Foundation has been supporting a number of philanthropic causes, including the following national organizations regularly and in significant ways through store events and other means: Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation,Kevin Harvick Foundation,Feeding America,Toys for Tots, andChildren's Miracle Network Hospitals. Ollie's Bargain Outlet raises more than $2,000,000 a year for these organizations combined.[citation needed]