JCPenney names stores in first phase of closings

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has announced which locations will close in the first phase of a “store optimization strategy” aimed at refocusing resources on the chain’s strongest stores. Store closing sales will begin at 154 locations following a June 11 hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi, the Plano, Texas-based retailer said in a news release. A list of the 154 locations in 38 states that are slated to be closed can be found here. The first…