The poor performing retail chain's parent company Woolworths Group made the announcement on Monday and said two distribution centres will also close, following an extensive review of the businesses operations.

Currently Lavington and Wangaratta have Big W stores.

"These are not decisions we have taken lightly and we regret the impact this will have on affected team members," a company spokesperson said.

"We have made these decisions to create a stronger and more sustainable store and distribution centre network that better reflects the rapidly changing retail environment.

"We understand the announcement, without confirmation of specific stores, will create some uncertainty for our teams and the communities in which we operate, particularly in regional areas.

"We want to emphasise this review has never been focused solely on our regional stores but our entire network."

IN OTHER NEWS: 

The spokesperson said details of store closure locations are not being released due to ongoing discussions with landlords.

"In the interim all Big W stores will continue to trade as normal.

"The majority of our store network is set to remain open and we're committed to doing the right thing for our team in impacted stores."

"We will inform our team members, customers and community stakeholders well in advance of changes to any specific store."

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