Heart of England Co-operative Society will close six department stores because of "growth in online shopping".
Non-food stores in Atherstone, Bedworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa and Hinckley will close.
The society reviewed its local sites after selling its Coventry store.
More online shopping and an "increasingly challenging retail environment" made the non-food division "no longer viable", said the society.
Money saved as a result of the branch closures will be re-invested in profitable areas such as "food and funerals", the society said.
'Increasingly challenging'
Labour councillor Dennis Harvey, the leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said the decision came as a "complete shock".
He said: "It has been seen as a quality shop in Nuneaton.
"It [Heart of England Co-operative Society] has been in detailed negotiations with the council's developer over the past 18 months in relation to remodelling and rebuilding the Nuneaton department store, so this is completely contrary to what it has been talking to us about."
A society spokesperson said: "The board has now taken the decision that, over the coming year, the non-food division will cease to trade.
"It is a decision which has by no means been taken lightly, however the retail environment has become increasingly challenging and this, coupled with the growth in online shopping, has meant that our non-food division is no longer viable as a business. "
The Coventry store will close on 24 October. The other six remaining store closures will be on a phased basis.
