J.C. Penney to close; Jersey Mike’s to open; Sheetz remodeling — The buzz – Staunton News Leader

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STAUNTON – Staunton’s J.C. Penney was on the list of stores set to close, Jersey Mike’s will open soon in Waynesboro and the Fishersville Sheetz is being remodeled — here’s the buzz.

J.C. Penney

The J.C. Penney at the Staunton Mall will not be reopening. The store has been closed since March due to COVID-19 and the Texas-based retailer announced last week it would be filing bankruptcy.

The department store chain is the largest company to file for bankruptcy protection so far during the pandemic, according to a USA TODAY article. The company had previously said it would close 242 locations for good and would leave about 600 open, but it had not yet revealed which locations will be liquidated, the article said. The retailer had been struggling financially for some time before that.

Staunton is one of two stores in Virginia — Danville is the other — and one of 154 across the country that will be shuttered as the company works to restructure itself after filing for Chapter 11 protection. 

The company is calling it a “store optimization strategy.”

“While closing stores is always an extremely difficult decision, our store optimization strategy is vital to ensuring we emerge from both Chapter 11 and the COVID-19 pandemic as a stronger retailer with greater financial flexibility to allow us to continue serving our loyal customers for decades to come,” said Jill Soltau, CEO of J.C. Penney in a release.

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Jersey Mike’s

Jersey Mike’s is set to open in Waynesboro June 10.

The new Waynesboro spot, located at 831 Lew Dewitt Boulevard near Five Guys, will be opened by Mookie Golden and Gordon Pannill, Jersey Mike’s local franchise owners.

The two first opened a Jersey Mike’s in Harrisonburg in 2016, then opened three other locations in Charlottesville, Blacksburg and Danville. Waynesboro will be their fifth restaurant in Virginia. The made-to-order sub spot is a franchise with more than 2,000 locations open and under development nationwide.

Jersey Mike’s serves fresh sliced and grilled sub sandwiches and is known for “The Juice,” which is an olive oil and red wine vinegar blended sauce. 

Due to COVID-19, the sub shop has temporarily closed the dining areas at its locations to help limit person-to-person contact. Guests can continue to place takeout orders in-store or for pickup through the website or through the Jersey Mike’s app. Delivery is also available through the Jersey Mike’s app or through third-party delivery partners, a release said.

Sheetz

Sheetz in Fishersville has closed temporarily for renovations, according to Sheetz spokesman Nick Ruffner.

The Sheetz store on Tinkling Spring Road closed last month for a major remodel, he said. This is similar to the remodel that the Staunton Sheetz underwent in 2017. In other renovations Sheetz has been doing, the entire store and gas pumps are given a facelift with new facades, details and larger stores. 

“Sheetz is excited to be offering our loyal customers in Fishersville a new store design which will include a restaurant-style experience with self-service kiosks and additional seating both inside and outside the store,” Ruffner said. “The store is tentatively scheduled to reopen to the public later this summer.”

Sheetz employees from the Fishersville store have been offered other jobs in the company temporarily until the remodel is finished.

“We are deeply grateful to our employees who are working tirelessly to serve the community during this unprecedented time,” Ruffner said. 

Have a news tip?

You can reach reporter Laura Peters at [email protected]. Follow her @peterslaura.

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