The struggling department store chain J.C. Penney is closing three stores in Iowa. The retailer announced Thursday it’s closing nearly 40 stores nationwide, with most of them closing on April 4th.
The three Iowa stores are located in the Southbridge Mall in Mason City, the Crossroads Shopping Center in Waterloo, and the Westland Mall in West Burlington. A company spokesman says the closures represent about four percent of their 1,000-plus stores in the U.S. and will affect about 2,250 employees.
Spokesman Joey Thomas says they are continually evaluating their store portfolio to determine whether there’s a need to close or relocate under-performing stores, and reviews such as these are essential in meeting their long-term goals for future company growth.
(Reporting by Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City)