Variety Wholesalers
Variety Wholesalers, Inc., is a privately held company based in Henderson, North Carolina, which owns more than 380 retail stores in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic United States under the banners Roses and Maxway.It originated in 1930 as a small group of retail stores owned by the Pope family.In 1949, John William Pope took over the family business, and starting in 1970, the company expanded by purchasing a number of other retail chains, including the Roses and Maxway stores, to become one of the largest in the US.In December 2024, Variety Wholesalers reached a deal to buy at least 200 stores and two distribution centers from the bankrupt Ohio-based discount store Big Lots and continue to operate them under the Big Lots name.The size of these stores range from 10,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet, and operate under the Maxway and Roses Express banners.