Northpark Mall J. C. Penney store not on company closure list

J. C. Penney announced plans Thursday to close seven stores, but the longtime anchor store at Joplin's Northpark Mall is not on the list:

While that still gives the retailer plenty of time to close more locations in the rest of 2016, it would put JCPenney on pace to come in under the number of stores closed in 2015 (41) and 2014 (33).

A JCPenney spokesperson told Women’s Wear Daily that the stores being closed comprise less than 1 percent of the entire company’s brick-and-mortar footprint, so the brand is unlikely to miss the sales from these underperforming locations. While some of those customers may simply continue their buying relationship with JCPenney online, the spokesperson did note that the company is expecting to stomach some losses off the bat that should even out as it moves further into 2016.