Enter the world of Big Box Outlet Store, where customers find unexpected bargains and unrivalled value
Everybody loves a bargain. Now more than ever, shoppers are investing time in searching for the best value in a bid to purchase products they love at lower prices. Leading this charge across the Western Canadian market, Big Box Outlet Store (BBOS) is supplying value in ways that continue to surprise its customers.
Founded by entrepreneur Mark Funk, BBOS started out 40 years ago as a single-location, single-occupant salvage business. The business initially established a partnership with a railway line buying pallets that were damaged or tipped in transit and then reselling them at a lower price – a unique model that would soon pave the way to decades of great success.
After just one year in operation, Funk formed a relationship with one of the largest wholesale retailers in the world, marking an evolutionary shift in the business’ trajectory, and thus, BBOS was born.
Today, BBOS has boomed across British Columbia and, most recently, Alberta. Now, the company boasts 20 stores across Western Canada and its model continues to be centered around reverse logistics, exciting brands, and, most importantly, exceptional value. In celebration of BBOS’ 40th anniversary, Retail Merchandiser sits down with Jon Mackie, Vice President of Operations at BBOS, and Matt Pettersen, Vice President of Sales, to learn more about the business’ journey to success. Matt begins by providing some insight into BBOS’ dynamic growth and expansion over the past years.
“Our growth has been driven by a mixture of having the right toolkit, the discipline to execute, and the opportunities available. With our new ownership, there has been a real energy and enthusiasm around growth, but there’s been a lot of learning there too,” Matt explains. “Where we’ve broken into new markets, we’ve really connected with those communities to understand how the brand is resonating and engineer any necessary improvement. We’ve also invested a lot in leadership so we can inspire the collaboration and upskilling needed across our teams to meet the demand of the growth.
“At the moment, we’re right in the middle of our Western Canada expansion. We’ve seen some rapid growth over the last couple of years where we’ve entered new markets, and the customer response has been tremendous. Our model is built around discovery; our stores are like treasure hunts for our customers where they’re able to find value that they wouldn’t expect.”
New brand
When discussing the driving forces behind the company’s 40 years of success, Jon echoes a similar sentiment: “It all comes down to grit, ingenuity, and keeping an open mind. There’s a lot of challenges in this business, particularly as we’re often dealing with items that have either been returned or not sold as the retailer hoped, so it’s all about taking those challenges and turning them into something that’s exciting for our customer. Another factor that’s kept us relevant over the decades is our consistency to the mission. We’re always trying to help people to stretch their dollar further and remain agile with that; that’s really benefitted us in our expansion into Alberta as well.”
From cleaning products to electronics, toys, candy, toiletries, and even designer brands, BBOS is a shopper’s paradise – a literal one-stop shop for the greatest deals. What makes the in-store experience particularly great for its customers – as Matt and Jon highlight – is BBOS’ emphasis on surprise; shoppers never know exactly what they might find. Building on this momentum, the team is also exploring adjacent retail formats designed to serve different customer needs while staying true to the company’s core value proposition.
One such concept experiments with a more pared-back, no-frills environment, where customers can engage more directly with product before purchase. The approach emphasizes simplicity, reduced handling, and a more self-serve experience, allowing the business to unlock additional value opportunities without compromising transparency or trust.
“It’s about meeting customers where they are,” Jon explains. “Some shoppers enjoy the hunt and are comfortable doing a bit more exploration themselves if it means even greater value. We’re testing what that experience looks like and where it fits alongside our existing model.”
The format allows for greater flexibility in how certain categories are processed and presented, particularly items where extensive refurbishment or handling may not be required. In contrast to BBOS’ traditional model, where products are carefully assessed, cleaned, and tested, this alternative approach enables faster throughput and lower operational touchpoints.
While still early, the exploration reflects BBOS’ broader philosophy of remaining agile, open-minded, and willing to test new ways of delivering exceptional value as customer expectations continue to evolve.
Amidst this continued growth, Jon is also pleased to share that BBOS has invested in a new distribution center, which now offers a multitude of additional operational and logistical benefits.
“We encountered an opportunity with a particular vendor in Alberta who we were buying from, and that was the catalyst that pushed us fully into the Albera market,” he says. “Now, we have a full-processing distribution and six stores, which allows us to process inventory in-house and share it across Alberta and British Columbia – which is a big logistical advantage.”
Agile approach
Following the anniversary celebrations and successful year just passed, it’s clear that Big Box Outlet Store is well-positioned for a bright future ahead – one filled with further growth, partnerships, and exciting new products. By keeping its mission close to its core, the company will continue to champion its model and delight customers across Western Canada for many more decades to come.
“For us, 2026 is about refinement and maintaining our current momentum as we continue to expand our vendor network. We have some great partners and serve some of the world’s biggest retailers – that’s a big reason why our customers come to us – but we’ve started to invest in how we’re going to stock those unique, unexpected finds, and a lot of that requires very agile, opportunistic purchasing,” Matt reveals, optimistic for the future ahead.
“In addition, we’re very focused on improving our processing and distribution capabilities, so we’ll continue to explore new real estate opportunities. We aim to grow organically in the markets that we trade in while adding new locations and upgrading existing ones. We hope to break into additional provinces and markets across Western Canada.”
“Our plan for the future is simple. In five years’ time, we want to be recognized as a truly national brand,” Jon adds, concluding our conversation. “We believe that we have a product that a lot of Canadians can benefit from, and we’re excited to improve the lives of more people through their ability to find great value at our stores.”