Penney stores to close in Winnemucca, Fallon, stay open in Ely

Friday, March 10, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

"We're very fortunate. We have wonderful support throughout the community," said Dan Leoni, manager of the Ely store.

"As long as that continues, we're more than happy to be the local Penney's store," he said.

J. C. Penney Co. spokesman Tim Lyons told the Ely Daily Times earlier this week the store "will remain open for the foreseeable future."

"There are no plans to close it at the present time," he said.

The Ely store opened in 1910, eight years after J. C. Penney began business.

Not so lucky are the J. C. Penney stores in Fallon and Winnemucca. Both retail outlets are scheduled to close their doors on, or before May 27.

The two stores are among the 40 J.C. Penney outlets slated to close nationwide, Lyons said. The closures will leave 1,110 of the retail giant's department stores open, he said.

The closures are part of a previously announced $5.3 million restructuring program. Also being closed are about 289 Eckerd drug stores.

The company's chief executive, James E. Oesterreicher said last month the stores selected for closure had $350 million in sales last year.

"Almost all of these stores are operating at a loss," he said.

The Eckard stores slated for closure are mostly small, low-volume stores that J. C. Penney bought from other chains, Oesterreicher said.

As a result of the closure, 24 store employees in Fallon will lose their jobs; 18 more will be laid off in Winnemucca.

Winnemucca store manager Rudy Alcaraz said some of his employees are high school students scheduled to graduate this spring. He said some of the older employees have spouses who are employed elsewhere in the community.

"We're also meeting with officials from JOIN (Job Opportunities In Nevada) for job retraining, and I'm working with other retailers in town," Alcaraz said.

"I think I have a couple of employees placed already," he said.

Alcaraz said the store's atmosphere remains positive.

"So far, everybody's taking it real well," Alcaraz said. "We're planning to end our last three months in operation with a plus."