Lowe’s closing 31 Canadian locations

BOUCHERVILLE, QUE. -Lowe’s Companies Inc. says it plans to close 31 Canadian stores and other locations as part of a plan to focus on its most profitable operations.

The closures include 27 mostly Rona stores in Canada including nine in Ontario, nine in Quebec, six in Newfoundland and Labrador, two in Alberta and one in British Columbia.

Locations in Hamilton are not planned for closure.

Lowe’s also plans to close its regional support centres in Mississauga, Ont., and St. John’s, N.L., as well as a truss plant in St. John’s, N.L., and a block plant in Kamloops, B.C.

Sylvain Prud’homme, chief executive of Lowe’s Canada, said the changes will allow it to improve collaboration between its banners to better serve customers.

“Everything will be done to ensure a smooth transition until the stores are closed, and Lowe’s Canada will support impacted employees, including by transferring eligible employees to other locations within our network whenever possible,” Prud’homme said in a statement.

Lowe’s says it expects to close the impacted stores by the end of the company’s 2018 financial year, Feb. 1, 2019.

The company is also closing 20 stores in the U.S.

The U.S. retailer acquired Rona Inc. in Canada in 2016 in a deal valued at $3.2 billion.

Based in Boucherville, Que., Lowe’s Canadian business has more than 630 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores.

It includes Lowe’s, Rona, RenoDepot, Dick’s Lumber, Contractor First and Ace.

Here is a list of the 31 stores and other locations that Lowe’s Companies Inc. says it will close:

British Columbia

Block plant, Kamloops Rona New Westminster (Colombia Square) Alberta

Rona Calgary (Douglasdale) Reno-Depot Calgary West

Ontario

Regional support centre, Mississauga

Rona Mississauga (Westdale Mall)

Rona Mississauga (Lakeshore) Rona Sault Ste. Marie Rona Sudbury

Rona Peterborough

Rona Kingston (Bath Road) Rona Lakefield

Lowe’s North York (Centerpoint Mall)

Lowe’s Sault Ste. Marie

Quebec

Rona Sainte-Clotilde Rona Iberville

Rona L’Assomption Rona Granby Moeller Rona Sainte-Rose

Rona Riviere-des-Prairies Rona Rouyn-Noranda (Mantha)

Rona Ange-Gardien Rona Saint-Elzear

Newfoundland and Labrador

Regional support centre, St. John’s

Truss plant, St. John’s Rona Conception Bay South Rona Goulds

Rona St. John’s (Topsail) Rona St. John’s (O’Leary) Rona St. John’s (Torbay) Rona Bay Roberts