J.C. Penney plans to close another six stores and a call center, the retailer confirmed to USA TODAY Friday.
The stores will have “an effective closing date of April 24,” Brooke Buchanan, senior vice president of communications, said in a statement.
“This decision is the result of a careful and ongoing review of our store portfolio,” Buchanan said. “It’s never easy to close a store, however, we feel this is a necessary business decision.”
Buchanan also said the Lenexa call center, which is in Kansas, is closing in “order to centralize call center operations and deliver streamlined service to our customers.”
In 2019, the Texas-based chain closed 27 stores, ended sales of appliances and furniture and placed the company’s focus back on its bread and butter: apparel and related merchandise.
America lost a record number of household names in 2019 as store closings capped a tough decade of accelerating decline for the troubled retail industry.
Department stores are struggling to adjust to digital competition and more innovative physical retailers.
So far this year, Macy’s announced it is closing 28 stores and a Bloomingdale’s. Home goods retailer Pier 1 Imports plans to close up to 450 locations, nearly half of its 942 stores.
J.C. Penney’s stock has been trading below $1.20 for the last several months. Fitch Ratings listed J.C. Penney among its “top loans of concern list” for 2020.
J.C. Penney is testing out ways to reinvent itself. At a remodeled store in Hurst, Texas, simply called Penney’s, the company has added a yoga studio, video game lounge, style classes and high-tech, personalized dressing rooms.
J.C. Penney store closings list
Here are the stores slated to close in April:
- Missoula, Montana: Southgate Mall
- Valley Stream, New York: Green Acres Mall
- Raleigh, North Carolina: North Hills Shopping Center
- Akron, Ohio: Chapel Hill Mall
- Tulsa, Oklahoma: Tulsa Promenade
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Myrtle Beach Mall
