Nearly 600 SmartStyle salons to close in January

Nearly 600 SmartStyle hair salons owned by Minnesota-based Regis Corporation will be closing at the end of the month, according to company officials.

According to a statement, Regis will be closing 597 "nonperforming" SmartStyle salons "in order to position the company for sustainable, long-term growth."

Regis Corporation will be offering job placement opportunities at other company-owned salons to the employees impacted. The company did not state how many employees would be affected, but called it a "modest number".

With the closure, there will be still be about 2,000 SmartStyle salons operating nationwide inside Wal-marts.

There are 39 SmartStyle hair salon locations in Minnesota. So far, Regis Corporation has not announced which salons will be closing, stating it does not share "specific employee or salon details."