Effingham JC Penney Store to Close

The Effingham JC Penney store at Village Square Mall is being closed.

Store Manager Jen Rolape said the list of Penney stores to be closed nationwide was publicly announced Friday morning. Rolape said staff members were notified of the closing earlier this week. The store will likely close by June of this year.

Other Penney stores being closed in Illinois are in Bloomington, Canton, Macomb, Peru, Sterling and Woodridge.

138 Penney stores are being closed nationwide. 

Rolape said it's been a sad week for the store family. She said they plan to be there for one another and their customers until the closing comes.

The closings, Rolape said, are a case of the company balancing online sales against brick-and-mortar sales. She noted that Penney's stores of all sizes are part of the closings.

JC Penney has operated in Village Square Mall since the 1970s.