Lowe’s looking at Sam’s Club sites

The Canadian division of Sam’s Club, the club warehouse stores belonging to Wal-Mart, will close all six of its stores in March so it can focus on opening more Wal-Mart “supercentres” across Canada. The decision, announced on Feb. 26, may provide some new opportunities for Lowe’s, the U.S. home improvement retailer also looking to expand in Canada.

Maureen Rich, a Lowe’s spokeswoman, confirmed that the company is “in talks with Wal-Mart regarding the sites.” The six Sam’s Club stores are all located in Ontario, Pickering, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, London, Etobicoke and Cambridge.

Lowe’s Canada, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is currently building three units in the province, all scheduled to open by the end of August. The Mooresville, N.C.-based retailer already operates 11 stores in Canada. Eventually, the company has said, it wants to open 100 stores north of the U.S. border. 

Rich told Home Channel News that Lowe’s Canada “continues to evaluate [other] sites” as well as the Sam Club’s locations.