American home improvement giant Lowe’s announced the closure of 34 stores across Canada, as well as the restructuring of its corporate support staff on Wednesday morning.
Tony Cioffi, acting president of Lowe’s Canada, confirmed the stores are underperforming and that their closure will help reveal the margin of manoeuvre the hardware store says it needs to reinvest in its future growth.
READ MORE: 40 Rona big-box stores to be converted to Lowe’s Canada in 2017
Eleven of the 12 stores set to close in Quebec are under the Rona name, with the other location being the Réno-Dépôt on des Forges Boulevard in Trois-Rivières.
Quebec Premier François Legault suggested the province will not be able to intervene in the hope of saving jobs.
“It’s a private enterprise. What we can do is limited,” Legault told reporters.
The closures also affect nine stores in Ontario, six in Alberta, three in Nova Scotia, three in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan.
The company isn’t sure of the exact number of employees affected, but it says that given the current staffing needs within the Lowe’s Canada network, eligible employees will be offered a transfer to a nearby store.
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The company says clearance sales will begin on Nov. 21 at all closing stores.
North Carolina-based Lowe’s purchase of Rona in 2016 was contentious, with many criticizing the provincial Liberal government in power at the time for the loss of a made-in-Quebec retailer. The deal was valued at $3.2 billion.
READ MORE: Lowe’s takeover of Quebec-based Rona approved by Competition Bureau
Lowe’s Canada said it intends to invest in its supply chain, web platforms, existing stores and affiliate network.
The move comes a year after the home improvement company also closed 27 stores and two regional support centres in Mississauga, Ont. and St. John’s, N.L., a truss plant in St. John’s, N.L. and a block plant in Kamloops, B.C.
The full list of stores that will be closed in each province can be found below.
British Columbia | Closing Date | |
Lowe’s Prince George | 2999 Massey Dr., Prince George | Feb. 19, 2020 |
RONA Surrey (Newton) | 6965 King George Blvd., Surrey | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Osoyoos | 6014-51 St., Osoyoos | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Alberta | ||
Lowe’s Calgary — Shawnessy | 295 Shawville Blvd. S.E, Calgary | February 19, 2020 |
RONA Airdrie | 2649 Main St. S., Airdrie | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Calgary (Midnapore) | 14815 Bannister Rd. S.E., Calgary | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA St. Albert | 730 St. Albert Trail, St. Albert | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Sherwood Park | 340 Baseline Rd., Sherwood Park | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Edmonton (Ellerslie Road) | 1003 Parsons Rd. S.W., Edmonton | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Saskatchewan | ||
Lowe’s Regina – North | 489 Albert St. N., Regina | Feb. 19, 2020 |
Ontario | ||
Lowe’s Etobicoke — North | 48 Lowe’s Pl., Etobicoke | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Lowe’s Thunder Bay | 1000 Fort William Rd., Thunder Bay | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Lowe’s Cornwall | 950 Brookdale Ave., Cornwall | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Brockville | 550 Stewart Blvd., Brockville | Jan. 31, 2020 |
L’entrepôt RONA — Cambridge | 66 Pinebush Rd., Cambridge | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Mississauga (Rockwood Mall) | 4141 Dixie Rd., Mississauga | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Réno-Dépôt Aurora | 140 First Commerce Dr., Aurora | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Oshawa | 1279 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Ajax | 19 Notion Rd., Ajax | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Quebec | ||
RONA Granby | 316 Denison St. E., Granby | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Sorel | 1293 Chemin des Patriotes, Sorel-Tracy | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Bécancour | 3365 Bécancour Blvd., Bécancour | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Nicolet | 2145 Louis-Fréchette Blvd., Nicolet | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Saint-Tite | 700 Notre-Dame St., Saint-Tite | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Trois-Rivières | 15 Philippe-Francoeur St., Trois-Rivières | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Saint-Félix-de-Valois | 3110 Henri-L. Chevrette St., Saint-Félix-de-Valois | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Carignan | 2395 Chemin de Chambly, Carignan | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Saint-Lambert | 707 Saint-Charles St., Saint-Lambert | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Saint-Sauveur | 180 Principale St., Saint-Sauveur | Jan. 31, 2020 |
RONA Bellefeuille — Saint-Jérôme | 905 De La Salette Blvd., Saint-Jérôme | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Réno-Dépôt Trois-Rivières | 4575 des Forges Blvd., Trois-Rivières | Jan. 31, 2020 |
Nova Scotia | ||
RONA Dartmouth (Windmill Road) | 500 Windmill Rd., Dartmouth | Feb. 19, 2020 |
RONA Dartmouth (Harbour) | 1000 Cole Harbour Rd., Dartmouth | Feb. 19, 2020 |
RONA Bedford | 1658 Bedford Place Mall, Bedford | Feb. 19, 2020 |
— With files from La Presse Canadienne and the Canadian Press
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