Big Lots said in a news release Thursday all remaining Big Lots stores – including 15 in West Virginia – are preparing to permanently close. It has not been able to complete sales to Nexus Capital Management, a private equity firm, and as a result is planning to start “going out of business” sales,” Bruce Thorn, Big Lots’ president and chief executive officer, said in the news release. “We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale. In the meantime, the company said it will continue to serve customers in-store and online. The announcement comes after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and already closed several hundreds of stores.