Lowe’s is closing 51 stores in the coming months, including two locations in Illinois, the company announced Monday.
The hardware chain said it plans to close 20 stores in the U.S. and 31 Canadian stores by Feb. 1 “to focus on its most profitable stores.”
“While decisions that impact our associates are never easy, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic reassessment as we focus on building a stronger business,” Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We believe our people are the foundation of our business and essential to our future growth, and we are making every effort to transition impacted associates to nearby Lowe’s stores.”
Among the list of stores closing are two in Illinois- one in Granite City and one in Gurnee.
The company said it plans to hold store closing sales for most locations, but some in the U.S. will close “immediately.”
It noted that the majority of impacted U.S. stores are located “within 10 miles of another Lowe’s store” and they plan to offer employees transition options at nearby stores.
