Anyone who has entered a mall since the COVID-19 pandemic will have noticed one thing: how empty they feel. In-person retailers have struggled to attract customers compared to online shopping, with malls being the most evident sign of this struggle. Taking a look at Rivertown Crossing in Grandville, the store is littered with empty and closed storefronts. Recent closures of staple businesses in the mall, like TGI Friday’s, have continued this trend of closures.
Now, one of Rivertown’s largest businesses, which has been there for years, is entering a strange new chapter as it has been sold to a new owner, along with five other locations around the state.
JCPenney’s Nationwide Struggles
It’s no secret that JCPenney has been struggling in recent years, with 2025 now having its second wave of closures. JCPenney declared bankruptcy in 2020 and has since experienced progressive closures and sales, most recently in May. Now, in a nearly $1 billion deal, JCPenney has announced the sale of 119 stores around the United States…