Lowe’s and Rona in St. Albert have escaped the axe.
On Monday, Lowe’s (which owns both brands) announced the closure of 27 underperforming Lowe’s and Rona stores across Canada. The only Alberta locations closing are in Calgary, Rona and Reno-Depot Calgary West.
While the two St. Albert home improvement stores are safe for now, the company wouldn’t say whether or not the local Lowe’s and Rona would close in the future.
“We are continually considering ways to improve the health of our network. We conducted a business review of all stores and made the decision to close these 27 underperforming stores,” said Valérie Gonzalo, media relations with Lowe’s, in an emailed response.
The majority of closures are Rona locations, with only two Lowe’s stores shutting down across Canada. Lowe’s bought Rona in 2016.
Lowe’s, which is based in North Carolina, is also closing 20 of its locations in the U.S. Across all its brands the company has 630 stores across Canada. Other brands owned by the company include Contractor First, Ace Hardware and Dick's Lumber.
In a press release, the company said the 27 stores would close by January 2019.
“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,” said Sylvain Prud’homme, president and chief executive officer for Lowe’s Canada, in the release.
The chain is also shutting down operations at a truss plant located in St. John’s, N.L., and a block plant located in Kamloops, B.C.
Lowe’s in St. Albert opened in February. The 107,900 square-foot-space is one of the newer retailers to open in the Erin Ridge shopping area. There are three other Lowe’s locations in Edmonton, with the St. Albert store being the smallest one.
Rona opened 19 years ago in Inglewood as a privately owned business. In 2013, it moved to 730 St. Albert Trail, taking over the previous Totem Building Supplies.
