J.C. Penney announced on Thursday that it will be closing 154 stores permanently, with store closings starting on June 12 and will also announce additional closures in the coming weeks. The Beaufort SC location at Cross Creek Shopping Center, a fixture in town for more than 25 years, is on the list, and is expected to be among the first ones that will close.
Here’s the complete list of the 154 locations set to close, across more than two dozen states.
J.C. Penney said it expects the store closing sales to last anywhere from 10 to 16 weeks.
Like the many retailers deemed nonessential, J.C. Penney was forced to temporarily close its stores due to the coronavirus pandemic, pushing it over the brink as its sales took an enormous hit and its debt swelled.
“While closing stores is always an extremely difficult decision, our store optimization strategy is vital to ensuring we emerge from both Chapter 11 and the COVID-19 pandemic as a stronger retailer with greater financial flexibility to allow us to continue serving our loyal customers for decades to come,” Chief Executive Jill Soltau said in a statement.
