7 Pennsylvania JCPenney Stores To Close

By Kara Seymour and Shannon Antinori:

Seven Pennsylvania locations are among 138 JCPenney stores closing nationwide.

Last month, the Texas-based company announced it was closing brick-and-mortar stores and several distribution centers across the country to better compete in a changing marketplace where online shopping has become common.

"We are pleased with the double digit growth of jcpenney.com and how leveraging our brick and mortar locations is enabling us to offset the last-mile delivery cost," the company said in a statement in February. “We believe closing stores will also allow us to adjust our business to effectively compete against the growing threat of online retailers,” CEO Marvin R. Ellison said.

The Pennsylvania locations closing include:

• Columbia Mall, Bloomsburg
• Clearfield Mall, Clearfield
• King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia
• Philadelphia Mills, Philadelphia
• Bradford Towne Centre, Towanda
• Lycoming Mall, Pennsdale
• Willow Grove Park, Willow Grove

A full timetable for closings has not been released, but JCPenney has said liquidation will begin in April and most stores will shut their doors in June, according to the Boston Globe.

The closings will affect a reported 5,000 jobs nationwide.

Photo by Mike Mozart via Flickr used under Creative Commons