Abilene ? Regional retailer Duckwall-Alco is closing its 44 Duckwall stores and will use the capital to bolster its more popular Alco stores.

The Abilene, Kan.-based company announced the closures Monday and said 267 full- and part-time employees will be affected in nine states.

Duckwall-Alco will be renamed Alco Stores Inc. to reflect the company’s new strategic focus. That change is expected in fiscal year 2012, which begins Feb. 1.

Company President Rich Wilson says the small, limited-selection Duckwall stores no longer meet the needs of local shoppers.

Nearly half of the closures will be in Kansas, where 20 of the stores are to be shut down. Three stores will close in Nebraska. A Duckwall store in North Dakota will reopen as an Alco.