Leon Korol Company

What Leon Korol Company does

Leon Korol Company is a privately held, family-owned wholesale distributor of closeout, overstocked, excess, and distressed merchandise, founded in 1959 in Chicago by Leon Korol and now operated by his sons Steve, Gary, and Jack Korol. Headquartered at a 200,000+ sq ft warehouse facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, the company purchases overstocked and excess inventory from manufacturers, importers, and distributors worldwide, and resells it in pallet-quantity wholesale lots to retailers, wholesalers, and other B2B buyers across more than 25 product categories including housewares, glassware, clothing, furniture, toys, seasonal goods, pet supplies, and beauty care. The firm carries a portfolio of over 5,000 SKUs at any given time and holds a 4A1 Dun & Bradstreet credit rating, described as the highest in the inventory liquidation industry.

The company operates a sales-led, event-driven go-to-market model. Direct sales are supported by regional offices in River Edge, NJ (managed by Hans Verhoof), Philadelphia (managed by Tom McAteer), and New Albany, OH (managed by Neal Becker), plus a Chicago sales office. Leon Korol maintains an active presence at 7+ wholesale trade shows annually, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Mid-Atlantic Mart in Philadelphia, and Chicago venues. A login-gated e-commerce website (leonkorol.com) provides product browsing, monthly specials, and online ordering, with minimum order thresholds ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on line count. All product ships FOB Elk Grove, IL.

The business model is fundamentally an inventory arbitrage operation: the firm sources closeout merchandise at deep discounts, pays vendors immediately, and resells at wholesale per-unit pricing to a broad base of B2B buyers, retaining margin on the spread. Customers are segmented horizontally across both supply-side (vendors seeking discreet liquidation) and demand-side (retailers and wholesalers seeking margin-enhancing inventory), with no single end customer disclosed as material. No external funding, institutional investment, or parent-company involvement is indicated.

Name

Leon Korol Company

Legal name

Leon Korol Company

Website

https://leonkorol.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leon Korol Company is a family-owned wholesale distributor, founded in 1959, that purchases closeout and overstocked merchandise from manufacturers and resells it in bulk to retailers and wholesalers from its 200,000+ sq ft Elk Grove Village, IL facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Closeout Distribution

NAICS

Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (423)

SIC

Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190), Wholesale-Misc Durable Goods (5090)

akta.pro primary industry

Overstock & Surplus General Merchandise Retail (CRAEAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Closeout Home, Furniture & Decor Retail (CRAEAFAI), Closeout Apparel, Footwear & Accessories Retail (CRAEAFAJ)

Keywords

• Wholesale closeout merchandise
• Inventory liquidation services
• Overstock merchandise distribution
• Closeout wholesale supplier
• Excess inventory buyer

Headquarters

HQ city

Elk Grove Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Closeout Merchandise Sales: Purchases overstocked, excess, closeout, and distressed inventory from manufacturers, importers, and distributors worldwide. Resells merchandise in bulk quantities to retailers, wholesalers, and other B2B customers at wholesale prices. Revenue generated through per-unit and pallet quantity sales with minimum order requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Leon Korol Company purchases overstocked, excess, closeout, and distressed inventory from manufacturers, importers, and distributors worldwide, then resells it in bulk pallet quantities at wholesale prices to retailers, wholesalers, and other B2B customers. The company offers over 5,000 items across 25+ product categories including housewares, home décor, toys, clothing, glassware, furniture, and seasonal merchandise, available via a login-gated e-commerce catalog and at multiple annual trade shows.

Product overview

Leon Korol Company operates as a single unified liquidation service offering, functioning as an inventory liquidation and closeout firm. The company's primary product is its portfolio of overstocked, excess, and closeout merchandise spanning 25+ categories (Books, Candles, Seasonal, Clothing, Cookware, Dinnerware, Fitness/Sporting Goods, Frames/Albums, Furniture, Giftware, Glassware, Hardware/Automotive/Electronics, Beauty Care, Household Cleaning, Hydration, Lamps/Lighting, Lawn & Garden, Stationery/Office/School, Paper/Party Goods, Pet Supplies, Pillows/Throws/Blankets, Plastics/Food Storage, Storage/Organization, Textiles/Rugs/Bath, Tote Bags/Coolers/Luggage, Toys/Games/Puzzles/Plush & Baby, Wall Decor & Clocks). Products are available via their website with a login requirement for full pricing, and through attendance at trade shows across the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Closeout/Liquidation Merchandise A portfolio of over 5,000 closeout items spanning 25+ product categories including Books, Candles, Seasonal, Clothing, Cookware, Dinnerware, Fitness/Sporting Goods, Frames/Albums, Furniture, Giftware, Glassware, Hardware/Automotive/Electronics, Beauty Care, Household Cleaning, Hydration, Lamps/Lighting, Lawn & Garden, Stationery/Office/School, Paper/Party Goods, Pet Supplies, Pillows/Throws/Blankets, Plastics/Food Storage, Storage/Organization, Textiles/Rugs/Bath, Tote Bags/Coolers/Luggage, Toys/Games/Puzzles/Plush & Baby, and Wall Decor & Clocks. Sourced from manufacturers, importers, and distributors worldwide and sold in pallet quantities at wholesale prices to B2B retailers and resellers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dun & BradstreetcoreOthersLeon Korol Company holds a 4A1 credit rating from Dun & Bradstreet, representing the highest credit rating in the inventory liquidation industry. This rating demonstrates financial stability and creditworthiness to vendors and customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Dollar Tree: National deep-value retailer with Family Dollar segment. Comparable as a downstream buyer of closeout and excess general merchandise, particularly in household, paper, and seasonal categories that overlap with Leon Korol's assortment.
• TJX Companies: The largest off-price retailer globally (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods). Sources closeout and excess inventory from manufacturers and operates at a vastly larger scale than Leon Korol, but addresses the same underlying vendor supply pool.
• Big Lots: National closeout general-merchandise retailer. Competes for the same upstream manufacturer overstock and serves a comparable broad assortment of household goods, but distributes to end consumers rather than wholesale buyers.
• Ross Stores: Off-price retailer operating Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS. Comparable through its reliance on opportunistic buys of excess manufacturer inventory across general merchandise categories.
• Burlington Stores: Off-price retailer of apparel, home, and accessories buying from the same closeout vendor ecosystem. Compares via merchandise category overlap (apparel, home goods, accessories) and reliance on opportunistic sourcing.
• Ollie's Bargain Outlet: Large closeout/off-price retailer buying excess inventory from the same vendor pool as Leon Korol. Comparable in merchandise category breadth but competes at the retail end of the closeout supply chain rather than wholesale distribution.

Direct peers

• H&G Sales: Chicago-area wholesale distributor of closeout, overstock, and discontinued general merchandise. Closest direct peer given similar B2B wholesale closeout model, multi-category general-merchandise assortment, and pallet-quantity minimums.

Emerging players

• Five Below: High-growth extreme-value retailer of trend-right merchandise across categories including sporting goods, home, and toys. Comparable buyer-side demand for opportunistic, closeout-priced inventory across similar product categories.
• B-Stock Solutions: Online B2B liquidation marketplace connecting retailers' excess inventory with business buyers. Competes for the same vendor relationships as Leon Korol but offers transparent online auctions versus a sales-led, login-gated model.
• Direct Liquidation: Online liquidation marketplace selling overstock and customer returns from major retailers in pallet and truckload quantities. Comparable buyer base (wholesale resellers) but operates a digital-first model versus Leon Korol's field-sales approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leon Korol Company