JC Penney has announced that it will close its North Bend store in the Pony Village Mall this year. The company plans on closing about 40 of its stores nationwide. However, the North Bend closure is the only one in Oregon. JC Penney operates about 1,100 stores. That’s down from its peak of more than 2,000 in the early 70s. The closure will displace 25 employees. JC Penney has been in the Bay Area since 1940 with its first store in downtown Coos Bay. It moved to PVM in 1999. The closures are expected to take place in April.
