JC Penney shoppers will soon have fewer options as to where to shop in Northeast Georgia. The JC Penney stores at Lakeshore Mall in Gainesville and Georgia Square mall in Athens are among 154 stores the company is closing across 20 states this summer. The company also is closing its store at Northlake Mall in Atlanta and four others stores in Douglasville, Rome, Statesboro, and Waycross (see list below).
Store closing sales are expected to begin after the company’s next bankruptcy hearing on June 11. The stores are expected to be closed by early fall.
JC Penney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 15. The company is one of the most high-profile retailers to file for bankruptcy protection after being hit hard by the coronavirus. When the pandemic hit, JCPenney, like many other businesses, was forced to temporarily close stores. The pandemic’s hit on sales was the final blow to a 118-year-old company struggling to overcome a mountain of debt.
“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,” said Jill Soltau, chief executive officer of JCPenney.
As of June 4, JC Penney had reopened nearly 500 stores as coronavirus restrictions eased in some states. Soltau said the company will continue to operate a majority of its stores and its flagship store, jcp.com, “to ensure our valued customers continue to have access to the products and brands they need and want.”
Here’s a list of store locations in the Southeast set to close. To view the complete list, click here.
Alabama:
Covington Mall, in Andalusia
Regency Square, in Florence
Jackson Square, in Scottsboro
Spanish Fort Town Center, in Spanish Fort
Florida:
Desoto Square Mall, in Bradenton
Coralwood Shopping Center, in Cape Coral
Gulf Coast Town Center, in Fort Myers
Regency Square Mall, in Jacksonville
Eagle Ridge Mall, in Lake Wales
Santa Rosa Shopping Center, in Mary Esther
Orlando Fashion Square, in Orlando
Lakeshore Mall, in Sebring
Westshore Plaza, in Tampa
Georgia:
Georgia Square, in Athens
Northlake Mall, in Atlanta
Arbor Place Mall, in Douglasville
Lakeshore Mall, in Gainesville
Mount Berry Mall, in Rome
Statesboro Mall, in Statesboro
Hatcher Point Mall, in Waycross
North Carolina:
Henderson Square, in Henderson
Biggs Park Shopping Center, in Lumberton
Twin Rivers Mall, in New Bern
North Hills Shopping Center, in Raleigh
Richmond Plaza, in Rockingham
South Carolina:
Anderson Mall, in Anderson
Cross Creek Mall, in Beaufort
Magnolia Mall, in Florence
Myrtle Beach Mall, in Myrtle Beach
Prince of Orange Mall, in Orangeburg
Rock Hill Galleria, in Rock Hill
Tennessee:
Bradley Square, in Cleveland
Columbia Mall, in Columbia
Dyersburg Mall, in Dyersburg
Kingsport Town Center, in Kingsport
Foothills Mall, in Maryville
Three Star Mall, in McMinnville
