The beloved American department store chain JCPenney is permanently closing seven of its locations inside shopping malls this month.
JCPenney stores in seven different US states are in their last weeks of clearance sales before they are set to close their doors on May 25.
The company selling items like clothing, jewelry and home furnishings, filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 and announced its plans to shutter more than 200 locations across the US.
A JCPenney spokesperson said ‘the decision to close a store is never an easy one’, but did not provide a specific reason for the upcoming closures.
‘Isolated closures do happen from time to time due to expiring lease agreements, market changes, or other factors,’ stated the spokesperson.
Here is the list of seven JCPenney stores set to close on May 25:
- The Shops at Tanforan – San Bruno, California
- The Shops At Northfield – Denver, Colorado
- Pine Ridge Mall – Pocatello, Idaho
- West Ridge Mall – Topeka, Kansas
- Fox Run Mall – Newington, New Hampshire
- Asheville Mall – Asheville, North Carolina
- Charleston Town Center – Charleston, West Virginia
In February, a JCPenney spokesperson told USA Today that an eighth store at Westfield Annapolis Mall in Annapolis, Maryland, was also set to close in mid-2025.
The spokesperson said at the time that the closures could occur due ‘expiring lease agreements, market changes or other factors’.
In April, JCPenney announced a partnership with Forever 21 to create a new company, Catalyst Brands, and open 1,800 stores with 60,000 employees. The merger includes other popular retailers including Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica.
A JCPenney spokesperson said the store closures are not linked to the merger.
JCPenney was founded by James Cash Penney in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902. The first store was named The Golden Rule and ‘set the standard by which we have operated for over a century – to treat others as we would like to be treated’, according to the company’s website.
As of Monday, the site stated that JCPenney ‘proudly serves customers at more than 650+ stores across the United States and Puerto Rico, and at the Company’s flagship store, jcp.com’.
The JCPenney stores are closing as another American department store giant, Macy’s, is shuttering 66 of its locations across 22 states this year.
