JC Penney Closing 4 Wisconsin Stores This Summer

Four J.C. Penney stores in Wisconsin are set to close this summer.

The company announced Friday it will shut down its locations in Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield, Marinette and Richland Center as part of 130 to 140 closures across the country.

J.C. Penney is one of several retailers shrinking their physical footprints as online shopping grows in popularity.

Company spokeswoman Daphne Avila said the four Wisconsin stores are less likely to be profitable because they’re smaller than other store locations.

“They represent one of our most smallest prototype,” Avila said. “There’s just so much capacity for those locations to offer the breadth of services and product that we want to offer.”

Avila said the retailer is looking to retain at least some of the workers at the affected stores.

“A hundred or so positions are going to be impacted, but our hope is to relocate some of our best talent there so they may continue their careers at J.C. Penney,” she said.

Avila said the four stores will begin liquidating their inventories next month and will close for good Sunday, June 18.