Department store closure
JCPenney to close Ridgmar Mall store after 50 years in Fort Worth
JC Penney at Ridgmar Mall is closing its doors for good.
The JCPenney store at Fort Worth’s Ridgmar Mall is closing November 1, the Plano-based retailer says.
“Regretfully, we are unable to continue our current lease terms for this store location and have been unable to find another suitable location in the market,” JCPenney says in an emailed statement.
Going-out-of-business sales have begun.
JCPenney has been a fixture at Ridgmar since 1976. Dillard’s remains open, but anchor tenants Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and Sears vacated the mall years ago.
Tentative plans call for the 75-acre, 1.2 million-square-foot enclosed mall to be redeveloped as a mixed-use property.
After JCPenney closes the Ridgmar location, 13 stores will be left in Dallas-Fort Worth, including the location at Fort Worth’s Alliance Town Center. Other Fort Worth-area stores are in Arlington, Burleson, Hurst, and Weatherford.
Nationwide, JCPenney operates roughly 640 stores but continues to shed locations. The current store count is down from a little over 1,000 in 2016.
In 2025, JCPenney merged with SPARC Group to form Plano-based Catalyst Brands. Other retailers owned by Catalyst are Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, and Nautica.
Retail expert Robin Lewis has offered a blunt take on the Catalyst merger: “Bundling a group of loser brands in loser malls doesn’t make for a winning formula.”
Weighed down by billions of dollars in debt and amid a sales decline, JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020 and later that year emerged from bankruptcy. Analysts generally say JCPenney has stabilized since then but note the retailer’s turnaround isn’t finished.
Still, JCPenney seems to remain popular with shoppers. This year, USA Today’s 10Best awards program named JCPenney the best department store chain in the country, based on input from shoppers and readers.
“This recognition underscores JCPenney’s ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional value, quality, and service to shoppers across the country,” JCPenney says in a news release about the No. 1 ranking. “Earning the most votes nationwide in a field of 20 retailers, this win is all about our customers. Their loyalty and love for JCPenney keep us at the top, and we’re proud to deliver unbeatable value, style, and service every day.”
