J.C. Penney To Close Abingdon Store

ABINGDON, MD — The Abingdon J.C. Penney store is among 154 shops the bankrupt retailer will close as it fights for its survival. Its store in The Boulevard at Box Hill is one of three in Maryland shuttering.

Store closing sales are expected to take 10 to 16 weeks to complete.

J.C. Penney's announcement of the store closures this week follows the company's declaration of bankruptcy in May.

The 118-year-old retailer reported it is reducing its brick-and-mortar retail footprint to focus on its strongest stores as well as its website.

"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," Jill Soltau, J.C. Penney's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

All 15 J.C. Penney shops in Maryland temporarily closed in March after the state ordered nonessential businesses to shutter to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The company announced Thursday the following stores in Maryland will permanently close:

• Boulevard at Box Hill, 3411 Merchant Blvd; Abingdon, MD 21009
• Woodmore Towne Center, 9100 McHugh Dr, Ste 576; Lanham, MD 20706
• Country Club Mall, 1262 Vocke Rd, Ste 300; La Vale, MD 21502

The Abingdon store opened in October 2012 as the shopping center off MD 924 was being developed.

The closings will leave 12 remaining J.C. Penney locations in Maryland: Annapolis, Dundalk, White Marsh, California, Columbia, Forestville, Frederick, Glen Burnie, Hagerstown, Hyattsville, Waldorf and Wheaton.

Related:

• J.C. Penney Bankruptcy Could Affect Abingdon Store: Report
• J.Crew, Which Has 4 Stores In MD, Files For Bankruptcy
• J.C. Penney Closes One Maryland Store, 29 Other Locations
• Sears Closes Store In Harford Mall
• Maryland Chain Retailers That Closed Stores In 2019

Patch editors Eric Heyl and Deb Belt contributed to this report.