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Another new layout, designed for existing stores, is being tested at Big Lots’ 13 Central Ohio stores and will expand to 60 more. Like the Polaris initiative, the layout moves the food and grocery section, which accounts for 30 percent of sales, to prominent space in the middle of the store.

“The initial customer reaction to the one store we’ve been experimenting with has been that the store feels better organized, is cleaner and wider aisles and better presentation of value and name brand product,” Haubiel said.

Big Lots also is raising its standards for cleanliness and presentation with particular attention paid to areas selling consumables. The so-called Food Refresh program is designed to make the area the tidiest, best-merchandised part of the store to give consumers “confidence” in the products, Haubiel said.

Big Lots CEO Steve Fishman said in the conference call that his main goals when he took over in 2005 were to improve the merchandise selection and reduce costs. As progress has been made on those fronts, he is turning attention to store design and operations.

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