J.C. Penney has filed a notice with the state expanding on its earlier announcement that its Regency Square Mall store will be permanently closing.
Ninety-four jobs will be eliminated as part of the store’s closing over a two-week period between September 23 and October 7, although J.C. Penney did say some of its employees may be offered jobs at other locations.
The company blamed the closing in part on COVID-19, writing:
If the notice being provided is less than 60 days, it is because of business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable at the time the notice would have been required, including: the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (including the furlough of most of J.C. Penney’s workforce, state and local governmental actions requiring temporary closure of most stores and/or significant restrictions to our business), which caused J.C. Penney to file its voluntary bankruptcy petition, as well as recent widespread civil unrest.
Related
J.C. Penney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April, announcing 154 stores would be closed nationwide.
On the First Coast, J.C. Penney also operates department stores at the Orange Park Mall and The Avenues mall.
Those stores are not on the initial list of closings but additional closings around the country are expected to be announced soon.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
