J.C. Penney in University Mall, 1000 E. State St., will be closing Jan. 10 because the store has not been meeting company objectives.
Associates were told about the closing a week ago. The 44 sales associates will have the opportunity to transfer to other stores through a system that is based on seniority. The nearest stores are in Nelsonville and Parkersburg, said Quinton Crenshaw, J.C. Penney corporate spokesman.
It was definitely a tough decision to make
he said.
The company looked at everything from sales to employees before making the decision to close the store that opened in 1988. There has been a decrease in sales, although the actual numbers are confidential, Crenshaw said.
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is not sure if there will be another store opening in the Athens area.
The main objective is to have stores where customers want to shop Crenshaw said.
Larry Payne, president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, said the timing for the closing was unfortunate. The situation should change when the economy gets better and the construction on East State Street is finished, but Payne said he did not think Wal-Mart was a cause for the closing.
The situation might have been different if the company had waited six months, he said.
The closing is a setback to making East State Street a commercial draw Payne said.
Besides losing shopping, there is also a personal loss for the people employed at the store, he said.
Many local stores will stay in business during tough times because of their connection and loyalty.
National or regional chains look at the bottom line
Payne said.
Recently a different chain store has looked into moving to Athens, he said.
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