JCPenney will remain open at Sunvalley mall

CONCORD >> JCPenney at Concord’s Sunvalley Shopping Center has escaped earlier plans for a shutdown and the department store will remain open amid the economic woes unleashed by the coronavirus, the retailer said Friday.

The decision to keep the store open serves as a welcome contrast to the forbidding landscape for a wide array of retailers that must combat the effects of the deadly bug.

“Our Concord, Calif. store has been removed from the list of announced store closings,” Kristen Bennett, a spokesperson for JCPenney, said in comments emailed to this news organization Friday.

JCPenney is a long-time anchor at Sunnvalley Shopping Center in Concord, which is one of the largest regional malls in the Bay Area.

“As JCPenney continues to evaluate its retail footprint and make strategic decisions for the future of the business, some stores have been removed from the previously announced list of closures and will remain open, including our store at Sunvalley Shopping Center,” Bennett said.

Officials at Sunvalley Shopping Center embraced the decision.

“JCPenney Concord is no longer closing and is here to stay,” Sunvalley Shopping Center stated in a recent post on the mall’s Facebook page.

“They are open for in-store shopping, and look forward to continuing to serve our community,” according to a post on the Facebook page.

In California, JCPenney is still closing stores in Tracy, Los Banos, Yreka, Paso Robles, Turlock, Chino, San Bernardino, and Delano.

Texas-based JCPenney filed for bankruptcy in May, saying it was forced to file for a reorganization of its finances and debts due to the economic harm triggered by the coronavirus.

“We look forward to continue serving our customers in Concord with many safety precautions in place,” Bennett said.