End of an era: Bend’s JCPenney among 154 stores to close nationwide
Veteran retailer struggles amid shifting trends retail, but pandemic was major blow, prompting bankruptcy filing
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – More than a century after arriving in the then-very small town, Bend’s JCPenney will be closing its doors for good as the nationwide department store chain, buffeted by changing retail habits and COVID-19 closures, announced Thursday it will be closing 154 stores.
That includes the one at Cascade Village Shopping Center, formerly known as Mountain View Mall.
Other Oregon closures include JCPenney stores in Salem, Roseburg and McMinnville, the company said as it released its list of closures nationwide.
JCPenney announced the closures as it tries to stabilize its finances under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which it filed for amid lengthy closures of all stores due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company had previously said it would permanently close 242 locations, leaving about 600 open.
A federal bankruptcy judge is expected to hold a hearing on June 11 to consider the proposal. If he approves, “going out of business” sales could begin right away, lasting about 2-3 months.
“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,” J.C. Penney CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement.
The closures also come as JCPenney has been gradually reopening some stores temporarily closed due to the pandemic. Nearly 500 had reopened by Thursday.
JCPenney first opened at Wall Street and Oregon Avenue in downtown Bend back in 1918. That was just 16 years after James Cash Penney opened the Golden Rule Store in 1902 in Wyoming, renamed in 1913 to J.C. Penney Co. Inc. The Bend store moved to the then-new Mountain View Mall in the early 1980s.
