| Fisher's Big Wheel | |
|---|---|
| Type | Discount department store |
| Founded | unknown |
| Dissolved | 1994 |
| Headquarters | New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States |
| No. of locations | 100+ |
| Area served | Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia |
| Key people | Peter H. Hollis |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, photography, garden/seasonal, sporting goods, large appliances, records, hardware, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and housewares. |
| Divisions | Buy Smart |
Fisher's Big Wheel, also known as Big Wheel, was a discount department store chain based in New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States.[1] The company operated stores under the Fisher's Big Wheel and Buy Smart names; at its peak, the chain comprised more than 100 stores in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. Fisher's Big Wheel primarily located in smaller towns which were not already served by other discount retailers; in other markets, they competed directly with such discounters as Kmart, Wal-Mart and Hills Department Store.[1] In 1993, the chain declared bankruptcy, closing off some stores and selling others to Pamida; the last Big Wheel stores were closed in 1994.
History
 |
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In 1986, the company's president, Peter H. Hollis, left the chain and became the CEO of Ames Department Stores, where he served for four years before becoming executive vice president of Jamesway.[2] Big Wheel acquired ten former locations in 1989 from two discount chains in the Midwestern United States: eight from Danner's and two from Heck's Department Store.[3] Several locations of Tempo and Buckeye Mart, two discount chains operated by Gamble-Skogmo, were also acquired by Fisher's. Fisher's Big Wheel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1993, closing ten of its stores.[4] Fifty-five more stores were later closed in 1994 as a means of liquidation.[5] Several locations were also sold to Pamida, a discount chain based in Iowa.[6] By 1994, the Fisher's Big Wheel chain had closed the last of its operations.
Former locations
References
- ^ a b Big Wheel rolls domestics into forefront - discount store chain (html). Discount Store News (1988-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ Jamesway hires ex-Ames chief - Peter H. Hollis (html). Discount Store News (1988-11-18). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ Big Wheel speeds growth with new stores, takeovers - Fishers Big Wheel, discount store chain (html) (1989-02-20). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ Fishers Big Wheel to close 10 units; chain files Ch. 11 petition; revamps executive staff (html). Discount Store News (1993-07). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ Fishers Big Wheel to close 55 stores in liquidation (html). New York Times (1994-1-7). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ Positioning Pamida - Apparel Merchandising Supplement - Company Profile - Cover Story (html). Discount Store News (1994-09-05). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
