JCPenney and Joann are two of several big-name department stores expected to shutter stores this year.

The two companies both shared store closure announcements this week, with JCPenney expected to close a "handful" by mid-2025 and Joann to shutter roughly 500 locations. The retailers join other companies like Macy's, Kohl's and Party City that have announced plans to close stores in recent months.

The closures are part of a years-long nationwide trend in which department stores are forced to downsize, following continued economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of online shopping.

Here are some of the retail stores shuttering doors in 2025.

JCPenney

JCPenney is closing a "handful" of locations by mid-2025, a company spokesperson told USA TODAY on Wednesday. The spokesperson did not specify how many locations would be closing but clarified that the company did not plan to "significantly reduce" its store count.

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After filing for bankruptcy protections in 2020, JCPenney closed more than 200 stores.

Last month, JCPenney announced it had partnered with Forever 21 to create a new company called Catalyst Brands. The merger also includes Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nautica and Eddie Bauer. The JCPenney spokesperson said the store closures are not related to this merger.

JCPenney closing 'handful' of stores:Here's what we know

Joann

Joann Fabric and Crafts is closing "approximately 500" of its roughly 850 locations, the retailer told USA TODAY on Wednesday. The announcement comes after the company filed for bankruptcy a second time in less than a year in January, after initially filing and then going private in March 2024.

See the full list of closures by state here or use the map below:

Macy's

In January, Macy's named 66 of the 150 "unproductive" stores it plans on closing by 2026.

The timeline on the closures is unclear, but clearance sales began last month and were expected to last 8-12 weeks, Macy's said on its website. Clearance sales at Macy's Backstage stores and Macy's Furniture Galleries were expected to start this month.

Following the closure of 150 stores, about 350 Macy's will remain across the U.S.

See the list of 66 stores closing here or in the embed below:

Big Lots

The company helping Big Lots through bankruptcy is selling the leases of more than 460 Big Lots stores across the U.S., a sign those stores will likely be closing.

Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a Boston-based asset liquidation firm, previously reported that offers for the 460-plus locations were due by Jan. 24, but as of Thursday, the Gordon Brothers website stated offers were due by Feb. 17. Gordon Brothers did not immediately respond for clarification when contacted by USA TODAY on Thursday.

Kohl's

Kohl's plans to close 27 "underperforming" stores in 15 states by April, leaving about 1,120 locations in operation nationwide. Closures will occur in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

Kohl's also announced last month that it would be slashing 10% of its corporate workforce, which more than half would occur with the closures.

Party City

All corporate-owned Party City locations − over 600 stores − will close this year. The company filed for bankruptcy in December after already filing for bankruptcy a year earlier.

Twenty-nine Party City locations that are franchise-owned plan to remain open, as USA TODAY previously reported. See a list of those stores here or in the embed below:

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Amaris Encinas, Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].