NORTH AURORA – Village officials are happy the J.C. Penney store in North Aurora is not one of about 40 stores that the chain plans to close nationwide in the next few months.
“They are a good sales tax producer,” North Aurora Finance Director Bill Hannah said on Friday. The store opened in August 2007 at 1600 Orchard Gateway Boulevard in the North Aurora Towne Center off Randall Road.
On Thursday, the chain announced it will close about 40 stores nationwide on or about April 4. The store closings represent less than 4 percent of the chain’s total store base, J.C. Penney spokesman Carter English wrote in an email.
“We continually evaluate our store portfolio to determine whether there’s a need to close or relocate under performing stores,” English wrote. “Reviews such as these are essential in meeting our long-term goals for future company growth. While it’s never an easy decision to close stores, especially due to the impact on our valued associates and customers, we feel this is a necessary business decision.”
Two J.C. Penney stores in Illinois are set to close, one in DeKalb and the other in Quincy. North Aurora Village President Dale Berman said the North Aurora Towne Center should see more traffic as a result of a new hotel – which is planned to be built near the shopping center – as well as a 429,000-square-foot industrial building recently built near the center.
“We’re happy to see that the J.C. Penney will remain in North Aurora,” Berman said.