Lowe's to Lay Off 600 Employees Amid AI-Driven Efficiency Push

Lowe's Companies cutting about 600 jobs By STAFF WRITER Mar 2, 2026 Mar 2, 2026 Updated 2 hrs ago Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Mooresville-based Lowe’s Companies Inc. on Feb. 13 announced plans to eliminate about 600 corporate and support jobs. In a statement, Lowe’s said the reduction in corporate staff will allows it “to strengthen our frontline focus while remaining agile in a dynamic home improvement environment.” The statement continued, “We are grateful for the contributions these associates have made to Lowe’s. We are committed to supporting them with financial assistance, continued benefits for a period of time and career transition resources.” TNCMS.AdManager.init ({ domain: "www.journalpatriot.com", secureDomain: "journalpatriot.com", virtualregion: { popup: __tnt.ads.popup }, callback: { expandable: __tnt.ads.expandable, html: __tnt.ads.html, image: __tnt.ads.image, pagecurl: __tnt.ads.curl, text: __tnt.ads.text, video: __tnt.ads.video } }); Lowe’s said the positions being cut represent less than 1% of the retailer’s total workforce. The layoffs are set to occur April 19 to May 1 and are primarily at Lowe’s headquarters in Mooresville and the company’s uptown Charlotte tech center. Lowe’s rival Home Depo announced in late January that it was cutting 800 jobs at its Atlanta store support center and called on its corporate employees to return to the office five days a week. Also in February, Big-box retailer Target announced plans to cut around 500 office and supply chain jobs to put money towards more hours for frontline store employees. Target eliminated about 1,800 corporate jobs in 2025. The Charlotte Observer reported that Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison referenced the job cuts during a fourth quarter earnings call with analysts on Feb. 25. According to the Observer, Ellison said consumer confidence is “subdued” and consumers are reluctant to make significant investments in homes. He said Lowe’s must stay focused on “perpetual productivity improvement” to counter this, which is why the company eliminated 600 corporate and support roles. #placement_936669_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;} var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid936669 = window.pid936669 || rnd;var plc936669 = window.plc936669 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=936669;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid936669+';place='+(plc936669++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write(' '); “This workforce reduction will help us create greater financial agility while continuing to invest in customer facing areas of the company,” said Ellison. Lowe’s recently announced that its fourth net sales rose from $18.6 billion to $20.6 billion, mostly due to continued growth in pro, online and home services sales and strong holiday sales. Lowe’s annual net earnings were $6.65 billion in 2025, down from 4% from $6.95 billion the previous year. Ellison said Lowe’s is giving $125 million in discretionary bonuses to all hourly store and distribution center employees. Fulltime and parttime store employees companywide will receive one-time bonuses of $150 to $700, and assistant store managers will get $5,000, said Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores Last year, Lowe’s gave $80 million in discretionary bonuses to store managers and assistant managers. Ellison told the Observer that in dozens of ways, artificial intelligence is freeing up store employees from being task driven to help drive efficiency and revenue. One AI initiative helps sales employees quickly learn about products to improve customer interactions. Another helps employees search suppliers catalogs quickly. Ellison said AI is critically important to Lowe’s and the company is embracing it. He also said technology will supplement some corporate jobs. Lowe’s reportedly had about 11,000 employees in the Charlotte area in 2024. It employs about 300,000 people and operated 1,759 stores as of Jan. 30. Lowe’s was founded in North Wilkesboro and was Wilkes County’s second largest employer before moving its corporate headquarters to Mooresville. Sign Up For Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. News Updates Stay Informed: Sign up for our newsletter so you can receive news updates every publication day. E-Edition Sign up today to have our e-edition delivered to your inbox. You must select at least one email list. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515718'); }); Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link S