Willowbrook Mall getting new anchor store. See who's joining Bloomingdale's and Macy's

WAYNE — JCPenney will open a new department store at Willowbrook Mall next month, an agent for the mall said Tuesday.

The 121-year-old chain is relocating its local store from Wayne Towne Center on Route 23 south to the vacant anchor slot on the southwest side of the mall.

Lord & Taylor prospered there for more than two decades before it shut its doors three years ago. A discount department store called Shopper’s Find soon followed, but it closed in November 2022.

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Ryan Hidalgo, the senior general manager for the mall, said JCPenney was scheduled to put up exterior signs this week. Interior signs were already hung at the two-story shopping center, the largest in Passaic County.

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The impending opening of JCPenney means that all four anchor spaces at the mall will be filled.

JCPenney opened at Wayne Towne Center in March 1974. At that time, the retail plaza was known as West Belt Mall. It was renamed as part of a $22 million renovation 14 years later.

The Texas-based chain, established in Wyoming by businessman James Cash Penney in April 1902, has 663 stores in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico.

JCPenney sign at entrance to department store on second floor of mall.

There are 10 locations in New Jersey.

JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020. The ailing chain was acquired by its two largest landlords, Brookfield Property Partners L.P. and Simon Property Group Inc., according to a statement released by the retailer that September.

Old Copper Co. Inc., a joint entity controlled by the landlords, finally completed the bankruptcy process in January 2021. The common stock of JCPenney is no longer traded on any exchange or market.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Willowbrook Mall getting new anchor store. See who’s joining Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s