Official: JCPenny, Sears to stay put

JCPenny and Sears will stay put in the Buffalo Mall even though Kmart will leave in May, according to Deb Thompson, general manager of the Buffalo Mall.

In a Jan. 31 article, Business Insider reported that third-quarter sales at JCPenny nationwide dipped more than 26 percent compared to the same time period last year.

But business at JCPenny is fine in Jamestown, despite a rumor that the store will shutter its doors.

“There’s absolutely no truth to that rumor,” Thompson said. “Sales are strong and they are doing well.”

Sears Holdings announced last week that Kmart would close its doors here on May 19 due to “disappointing sales.”

The Sears store in the Buffalo Mall, however, is a franchise locally owned by Jim Matthiesen.

“Me being a franchise, I’m staying open,” Matthiesen said. “Mine is business as usual.”

He said people need to support local businesses to prevent them from leaving Jamestown. Many stores in Fargo ask for customers’ zip codes and can track that data, he said.

“I think sometimes people don’t realize by shopping in Fargo, and that’s your right, but in the same respects you’re hurting the town because stores are tracking that,” Matthiesen said.

While Thompson said she is upset with Kmart leaving, she said that one retailer is already interested in the store’s present suite at the mall.

“They have indicated they do not want us to disclose anything at this time, but it is retail,” Thompson said of the interested party. “… We’re actively marketing and trying to get a tenant to occupy that space as soon as possible.”

Tags: local business, news