JCP closing 138 stores; Andalusia to remain open

Published 2:45 am Saturday, March 18, 2017

The Andalusia JCPenney was not among those the parent company announced on Friday it will close beginning in April.

In February, the J.C. Penney Company announced it would close a number of locations in an effort to shrink its footprint. Company CEO Marvin Ellison told investors in February the closures would allow the company to “raise the overall brand standard” and invest in remaining stores.

On Friday, the company released a list of 138 retail locations that will begin closing in April, including stores in Auburn, Bessemer, Gadsden and Jasper in Alabama.

The retailer said that the closures would displace 5,000 workers, some of whom would be transferred.

With the move, the company will operate almost 900 stores.