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Wright announced the chain was going out of business. Four of the seven Connecticut locations of A.J. Wright, including stores Links of London Hamden and West Haven, will close permanently over the next two months. TJX launched A.J. Wright in as a discount store brand similar to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, selling clothing, home decor, shoes and other items, but it never performed quite as well as its sibling stores. A total of , people will lose their jobs as TJX Cos. of Framingham, Mass. converts of the A.J. Wright locations to other chains the company operates, such as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. Another locations valentines Day bracelets  permanently close, company officials said other Connecticut locations closing are in Bridgeport and Wethersfield. Three other Connecticut A.J. Wright locations in Waterbury, Windsor and New Britain were not identified by TJX as stores that were closing and are expected to become one of the other sister brands. Those that are being converted to other TJX chains are expected to reopen about eight weeks after they close, according to officials of the parent company. Two distribution centers, one in Massachusetts and the other in Indiana, will also be closed. About , staffers will remain employed at Links of London I Charm converted stores, but of the , positions being eliminated, most are part time, said Carol Meyrowitz, TJX's chief executive officer. "All associates will have the opportunity to be compensated through the holiday season, and about half of the positions will be retained through late January," Meyrowitz said. TJX is closing down the A.J. Wright chain to focus on its more profitable retail businesses. After the cuts, TJX will have about , staffers. As of December, the company operated T.J. Maxx stores, Marshalls and HomeGoods in addition to the A.J. Wright stores. The company said it will cost million to million to close the stores and million to million for the store conversions. Discounters T.J. Maxx and Marshalls have benefited as shoppers hunt for bargains because of the uncertain economy. But A.J. Wright stores offered even lowerpriced products than T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, and that turned out to be not as appealing to shoppers. Dec. TJX Companies Inc. will close one A.J. Wright store in Baltimore as part of a plan to shutter the brand. The company which also owns Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods Links of London H Charm shut down the store at the Meadows Park Shopping Center on Security Boulevard by midFebruary. It is part of a plan to close A.J. Wright stores across the country. Ninety stores will be converted to the other brands, while will shut down entirely, the company said in a press release this morning. By eliminating A.J. Wright the company said it hopes it will be able to better focus on its more profitable businesses.