Tracy and Turlock are losing their JC Penney stores but not Manteca.

JC Penney on Thursday said it would start closing 154 stores next week as it starts shrinking its footprint to become more viable as it comes up with a plan to emerge from bankruptcy.

The closure of JC Penney will leave West Valley Mall in Tracy with Sears and Target stores as its biggest anchors. The Turlock store is located at Countryside Plaza. There are two of seven JC Penney stores closing in California. Both stores have a smaller footprint than the Manteca location at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley.

All of the JC Penney stores in the 209 are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic except for locations in Merced and Modesto.

 The 118-year-old retailer indicated it will take between 10 to 16 weeks to close the 154 stores.

JC Penney in its bankruptcy reorganization indicated they plan to close a third of their 864 stores in the next two years. That would leave just over 600 locations.

Other JC Penney stores in the 209 are in Stockton and Lodi.

JC Penney filed for bankruptcy protection last month, making it the biggest retailer to do since the coronavirus pandemic forced non-essential stores to be shut down temporarily. J.Crew and Neiman Marcus sought bankruptcy protection days before JC. Penney. All three were laden with debt and had trouble connecting with shoppers, who are increasingly skipping the mall and shopping online.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com