A Woodridge J.C. Penney and six other Illinois stores are among the 138 locations the department store chain is shutting down nationwide.
Last month, Plano, Texas-based J.C. Penney announced plans to close stores to help it compete as online retail grows. Illinois stores in Woodridge, Bloomington, Canton, Effingham, Macomb, Peru and Sterling were on the list of closing stores released Friday.
Most of the 138 stores will begin holding sales April 17 and close their doors in June, J.C. Penney said. As of Jan. 30, the chain had 1,021 stores.
Closing some stores will help J.C. Penney “raise the overall brand standard,” Chairman and CEO Marvin Ellison said in a news release announcing the closings, which will eliminate about 5,000 jobs.
J.C. Penney also said it will close a Florida distribution center and relocate another facility currently located in California.
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