Walmart Canada is permanently closing all its Tire & Lube Express auto service centres in 106 stores across the country by the end of June, says the company.

An email from corporate affairs director Adam Grachnik says the move will allow Walmart to accelerate online growth while continuing to deliver its core business of food, consumables, health and wellness, fashion and general merchandise.

Information was not immediately available regarding online sales initiatives.

The email says 106 stores Canada-wide and approximately 550 employees will be affected. It says Walmart is attempting to minimize job losses and that it expects to retrain the vast majority of those employees.

An existing partnership through which Mr. Lube centres are embedded in 50 Walmart locations will continue, says the company.