JCPenney Closing Garden State Plaza Store March 10

PARAMUS, NJ — The JCPenney store at Westfield Garden State Plaza will close March 10.

A recording on the store's telephone line informed people of the closing.

The Paramus location has been an anchor store at the state's largest shopping mall since it opened in 1958, a year after the mall did, NorthJersey.com reported.

JCPenney announced in February it would close up to 140 of its brick-and-mortar stores nationwide this year, along with distribution centers in Florida and California.

The move is hoped to help JCPenney better compete in the changing marketplace, CEO Marvin R. Ellison said in a statement.

"We believe closing stores will also allow us to adjust our business to effectively compete against the growing threat of online retailers," Ellison said.

The recording stated that the company thanked customers for "continuing to make JCPenney worth your time" and referred people to the company's two nearest stores: In Wayne at the Wayne Towne Center and the Newport Center Mall in Jersey City.

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Photo: A man listens to a disc jockey perform at the JCPenny at the Garden State Plaza. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)