Southern States is closing eight farm supply and service cooperative stores in Alabama.
The Cullman Times (http://bit.ly/1dEqHhN ) reports that the stores are shutting down as part of a corporate restructuring.
The company is closing stores in Athens, Centre, Cullman, Danville, Geraldine, Headland, Henagar and Oneonta.
Company officials say the affected stores account for only a small number of locations within its 17-state region. It's unclear how many jobs are affected.
Southern States chief executive Tom Scribner says the company's new strategy focuses on areas with high potential for growth. He says that means it has to close stores in some markets.