Lowe’s to close 2 stores in Illinois, 1 in Indiana

Home-improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. announced Monday plans to close 51 stores in North America, including two in Illinois and one in Indiana.

The Illinois stores to be closed by Feb. 1 are in Gurnee and downstate Granite City. The Indiana store is in Portage.

The company said most workers will be offered jobs at other Lowe’s stores. Many of the stores being closed are within 10 miles of another Lowe’s, the company said.

“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,” said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “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.”

The store closings affect 20 in the United States and 31 in Canada.