MONROE — Target Corp. plans to close another batch of stores early next year, including the retailer’s only location in Monroe.

The Mall of Monroe store is one of three in Michigan that are getting the ax. Target also will close locations in Bay City and Southfield. In all, Target plans to close 11 stores in eight states.

In a prepared statement, the Minneapolis-based retailer said the decision was made “after careful consideration of the long-term financial performance” of each store.

A company spokesman said the Monroe store will close Feb. 1.

Target is offering employees the option to transfer to other stores. Those who choose not to transfer are eligible for a separation package. The Monroe store has 87 employees.

The Monroe Target opened in 1994 and is one of the anchor stores for the Mall of Monroe.

Joe Bell, a spokesman for mall owner Cafaro Co., said the news was a surprise.

“As far as we know, they were not doing badly at all,” he said.

This week’s announcement represents Target’s second round of store closures this year. In January, the Minneapolis-based company said it would close eight stores, including two in southwestern Ohio.

Target generally has been viewed as stronger than some of its struggling peers in recent years, but the company has been rocked by last year’s data breach in which hackers gained access to information about as many as 70 million customers.

Target said this summer that costs associated with the breach totaled $148 million in the year’s second quarter. The company hasn’t reported yet third-quarter financials.

Though Mr. Bell said Cafaro didn’t anticipate Target would leave the Mall of Monroe, “we do understand the circumstances surrounding it.”

Target was a major retailer for the mall, but Cafaro doesn’t believe it will struggle to find a replacement.

“We’ve had discussions with several retailers, a couple of them national, who are interested in large spaces and we’re quite confident that ultimately we are going to bring in a new popular retailer that will fill the space that Target intends to vacate,” Mr. Bell said.

Target actually owns the building it occupies at the mall, but Mr. Bell doesn’t anticipate that creating a major burden to finding a new tenant. He said the property likely will be acquired either by Cafaro or by an incoming retailer.

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at tlinkhorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6134 or on Twitter @BladeAutoWriter.

First Published November 6, 2014, 5:00 a.m.