Stores in ``no-growth'' and rural markets will be closed, as the company tries to boost its annual sales to $10 billion by the end of 2009, 84 Lumber said in a statement Tuesday.
The company, the largest privately owned building materials retailer in the country, had 521 stores and reported sales of nearly $4 billion in 2005.
``We determined that we needed to make some tough decisions regarding underperforming stores and close them,'' said company president Maggie Hardy Magerko.
About 600 employees will be affected by the closures, said company spokesman Jeff Nobers. About two-thirds of those workers will likely keep their jobs by relocating to other stores, Nobers said.
Nearly 50 news stores will open this year, with up to 125 opening in the next three years, the company said.
The company also plans to hire at least 1,000 outside sales representatives over the next three years, as the company seeks to expand its sales to large national builders.
Unlike competitors such as The Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos., 84 Lumber markets exclusively to contractors. The company says more than 95 percent of its sales come from professional builders.
Founded in 1956, 84 Lumber is named after the town of Eighty Four, where the original store continues to operate.
Locations of stores that 84 Lumber Co. plans to close:
GEORGIA
Commerce
Calhoun
ARKANSAS
Malvern
Clarksville
ILLINOIS
Springfield
Alton
INDIANA
Centerville
Kokomo
Merrillville
KENTUCKY
Alexandria
Campbellsville
Morehead
MARYLAND
Woodlawn
MICHIGAN
Benton Harbor
Houghton Lake
Jackson
MISSISSIPPI
Pontotoc
MISSOURI
Neosho
Camdenton
NEW JERSEY
Berlin
NEW YORK
Ontario
Olean
Oswego
Oneonta
Batavia
NORTH CAROLINA
Clinton
Oxford
OHIO
South Columbus
Lima
Mansfield
Bucyrus
Findlay
Hillsboro
Newbury
North Lima
Akron
North Canton
Ashtabula
Alliance
Brunswick
PENNSYLVANIA
Ephrata
Bethel Park
Kane
Hermitage
Woodland
Northeast
Imperial
Homer City
Johnstown
Moon Township
Wexford
Washington
SOUTH CAROLINA
Camden
TENNESSEE
Kingsport
Oak Ridge
Clinton Highway
Union City
Shelbyville
Lawrenceburg
Decherd
VIRGINIA
Blairs
WEST VIRGINIA
Gallipolis Ferry
New Martinsville
Wellsburg
Logan
WYOMING
Rock Springs
Gillette
Locations of stores that 84 Lumber Co. plans to open in 2006:
ALABAMA
Mobile
Northport
ARIZONA
Florence
Yuma
CALIFORNIA
Rialto
Visalia
FLORIDA
Sarasota
Ft. Lauderdale
Fort Pierce
Haines City
Medley
Jensen Beach
Miami Dade
Riviera Beach
IDAHO
Meridian
ILLINOIS
Crystal Lake
Minooka
LOUISIANA
Ascension Parish
Hammond
Lafayette
Slidell
MINNESOTA
Hugo
Lakeville
MISSISSIPPI
Moss Point
NORTH CAROLINA
High Point
Huntersville
NEVADA
Reno
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City North
OREGON
Forest Grove
Redmond
PENNSYLVANIA
Exton
SOUTH CAROLINA
Lexington
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga
Hendersonville
Piperton
TEXAS
Burleson
Georgetown
Houston West
Killeen
McKinney
San Antonio South
San Benito
UTAH
Spanish Fork
West Jordan
VIRGINIA
Fredricksburg
Winchester
WISCONSIN
Wrightstown
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