The JCPenney store at Riverbirch Corner will close as part of a larger set of closures the company has announced nationwide.
ABC 15 News reports that the Sanford store will close on July 5, as well as the one in the Cary Town Center Mall, which will shut its doors on May 3.
The stores in Sanford and Cary are two of 24 across the country that are set to close in the second quarter of the year as the once strong retail giant faces an increasingly difficult economic landscape. From a Feb. 28 report in money.com:
The retailer will close 15 stores and nine ancillary home and furniture stores, in addition to three other stores that the company previously announced would shutter in 2019. These stores, the company says, are either performing poorly or present “a real estate monetization opportunity.”
A representative for J.C. Penney declined to disclose which locations will be impacted by the closures. All of these stores are slated to shutter within the year’s second quarter, sometime between April and June.
Laid-off employees “will receive separation benefits” like help with finding another job, resume writing, and interview preparation, the company says.
While the closure doesn’t appear to be related to the troubles Riverbirch Corner has experienced in recent months, it’s undoubtedly another blow to the beleaguered shopping center, which was sold at auction in 2017 and has been notified by the city of Sanford of multiple code violations since last fall.
This place needs to be shuttered….every time I went in there I was sorely disappointed at how run down and messy it was….and don’t even get me started on the bathrooms!!!!
So sad they are closing. Will miss shopping at this Sanford store.