JCPenney shoppers are in despair as several stores are set to close in the coming months.
Three outlets are set to close by the end of September and another is expected to shutter in 2025.
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The closures will impact shoppers in Mobile, Alabama, Wichita Falls, Texas, and Waterville, Maine.
A JCPenney store in Annapolis, Maryland, is set to close next year, per Retail Dive.
But news of the closures appears to have come as a bit of a shock to shoppers.
“End of an era,” one shopper said.
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“Sad to see an icon bite the dust,” a second fan said.
“I didn't go often, but it was a comfort that it was there if I needed something,” a third devastated shopper said.
Diehard JCPenney fans admitted they feared the closure of the Mobile store was coming.
Shoppers shared a picture from the parking lot of the store and a yellow closing banner has been plastered on the front of it.
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A JCPenney spokesperson confirmed to Al.com that the Mobile outlet will be closing by September 22.
They explained the company had been unable to agree on a new lease.
Restaurant chain with 260 stores confirms closure of location after 5 years – it was only shop in entire state
Chiefs said this was a regretful outcome.
But JCPenney is not leaving Alabama for good as the chain has other locations in Alabaster, Dothan, Fultondale, Hoover, Montgomery, Oxford, Prattville, Tuscaloosa, and Trussville.
The retailer’s outlet in Wichita Falls is also expected to shut by September 22.
Meanwhile, the JCPenney store in Waterville – located around 75 miles from Portland – will be replaced by a Reny’s outlet.
A discount sale is being held ahead of the closure.
JCPenney stores to close
JCPenney has hit the headlines after it emerged that the chain will close a number of stores within the coming months. Here are the locations affected:
- Mobile, Alabama
- Wichita Falls, Texas
- Waterville, Maine
- Annapolis, Maryland
Shoppers can grab a bargain as the prices of items have been cut by up to 50%.
The pending shutdowns come after JCPenney filed for bankruptcy.
Bosses at the time blamed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the company.
Jill Soltau, the former CEO of JCPenney, said at the time the restructuring would help ensure the chain's future.
JCPenney, which has been part of the American retail scene since it was founded in 1902, had more than 2,000 stores in 1973.
That number has been dramatically cut in the decades that followed.
Now, there are 663 JCPenney nationwide.
OTHER STORE CLOSURES
The iconic chain is not the only retailer that has seen closures and experienced financial difficulties.
Execs at the fashion retailer rue21 filed for bankruptcy and hundreds of outlets will be closing.
A rue21 store in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is among those to close.
A closing date has not been released, but a sign has been put on the building’s doors, per the ABC affiliate WHTM-TV.
The sign says that a new store will be coming soon.
The U.S. Sun previously reported that 95 Express stores will close after the chain filed for bankruptcy.
Where are Express stores closing?
Some states are losing more stores than others:
- California - 16 stores closing
- New York - 11 stores closing
- New Jersey - 7 stores closing
- Texas, Florida - 5 stores closing each
- Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois - 4 stores closing each
- Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts - 3 stores closing each
- Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin - 2 stores closing each
- Arizona, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Rhode Island, Tennessee - 1 store closing each
In February, Macy’s chiefs announced that 150 stores will close by 2026.
It’s not just clothing retailers and department store chains that have seen closures.
Read More on The US Sun
Hundreds of CVS stores will close as drugstore chiefs cut the chain’s portfolio.
And Family Dollar bosses have announced 1,000 stores will be closing.
