OLEAN, N.Y. — JCPenney in the Olean Center Mall dodged the chopping block as the national department store chain’s officials reported this week it’s closing roughly 40 stores and cutting approximately 2,250 jobs this year.
The news regarding the closings was reported by the Texas-based retailer Thursday, a day after the company reported it had a 3.7 percent jump in holiday shopping sales from the same time period last year.
Olean location store leader Rob Devantier said Friday he knew there was an announcement that stores were closing across the county, but didn’t know how many were going to be closed or why they were being shut down. He said he is primarily focused on operations at his store.
“It’s business as usual here,” Devantier said. “It’s really up to corporate to provide information on closings … we haven’t heard anything.”
The store leader said he wasn’t sure what method JCPenney’s corporate executives use to determine which stores will close, and he wouldn’t disclose his store’s sales tally for past year.
JCPenney has had its most recent location in the Olean Center Mall since 2006.
“The decision to close stores comes from corporate. It’s something they review every year,” Devantier said.
A female employee, who wished to remain anonymous, working at the store Friday said she is grateful her job would remain intact.
“I need the work, and there aren’t too many retail clothing stores around here, so it’s great (that corporate) decided to keep this location open,” the employee said.
The Texas-based department store will close its Hudson Valley Mall store in Kingston, along with Pennsylvania stores at Nittany Mall in State College, Chambersburg Mall in Chambersburg, Susquehanna Valley Mall in Hummels Wharf, Granite Run Mall in Media and York Galleria in York, according to an Associated Press report.
Four stores in North Carolina; three locations in Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin; two stores in Illinois, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia; and one each in Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas will also close.
Most store closings will occur by April 4, leaving approximately 1,020 in the company’s fleet.
