MW UPDATE: J.C. Penney to shutter these six stores by April 24

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (JCP) says six of its stores will be closing for good, effective April 24. The stores were selected for closure after a "standard annual review," the department store retailer said. "The decision is the result of a careful and ongoing review of our store portfolio," reads a company statement. The six stores are located at the Southgate Mall in Missoula, Mont.; the Myrtle Beach Mall in South Carolina; the Chapel Hill Mall in Akron, Ohio; the Tulsa Promenade in Oklahoma; and the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, N.Y. J.C. Penney is also closing the call center in Lenexa, Kan., which will impact 243 jobs. That closure is an effort to centralize call center operations. The supply chain facility in Lenexa will remain in operation. J.C. Penney reported a 7.5% comparable-store sales decline for the holiday season earlier this month (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jc-penney-holiday-season-comparable-store-sales-sink-2020-01-09). J.C. Penney shares are down 5.2% in Wednesday trading, and have fallen 39% over the last year. The S&P 500 index is up 24.5% for the period.

-Tonya Garcia; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 21, 2020 15:30 ET (20:30 GMT)

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