Near the end of May, JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announcing that it would permanently close about 30 percent of its stores. On Thursday, the apparel and home retailer said it would be begin closing 154 locations as part of its first phase.
Stores in 38 states across the country will be shuttering its doors for good. The store closures include eight in California, nine in Florida, seven in Georgia, nine in Indiana, seven in New York, nine in Ohio, and seven in Texas. In the coming weeks, there will be phases of store closing sales, which JCPenney expects will take 10 to 16 weeks to complete.
News of the store closures comes as JCPenney gradually reopens stores temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. So far, it’s reopened nearly 500 locations, implementing added safety measures based on CDC guidelines and state as well as local mandates. Some of the new safety protocols include Plexiglass shields at registers, social distancing signage, and enhanced store cleaning. Additionally, employees are required to wear masks and gloves.
“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,” JCPenney CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement.