Peru J.C. Penney not among the 33 scheduled to close

A department store chain that has had a store in the Illinois Valley for decades is closing 33 stores.

J.C. Penney announced Wednesday that it is also cutting 2,000 jobs.  Their store at the Peru Mall will remain open but two other stores in Illinois are closing.

The closings are a way to save money.  The chain earlier this month said it was pleased with its holiday results but didn’t give numbers.  The cuts should save more than $65 million annually.