Target says it will close 13 stores nationwide in January 2016, cites decreasing profitability

MINNEAPOLIS — Target plans to close 13 stores nationwide, including one in New Ulm and two others in Milwaukee and Superior, Wisconsin.

The Minneapolis-based retailer plans to close the stores on Jan. 30. The 13 are among Target's nearly 1,800 stores in the U.S.

Target was hurt by a massive credit-card breach before Christmas 2013 that sent shoppers temporarily fleeing. The company also pulled the plug on a major expansion into Canada earlier this year.

Spokeswoman Kristy Welker said the closings are due to the stores' individual performance and unrelated to Target's overall performance.

Layoffs in 2015 included 2,500 jobs, or about one-fifth of the workers in the company's corporate offices in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park.