The Annapolis Mall JCPenney, which has had going out of business sale signs posted for weeks, will officially close May 12, according to a filing made with the Maryland Department of Labor.

The filing notes that the Annapolis store employs 74 workers. It is unclear if they will be offered jobs in other locations.

The Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act, passed in the late 1980s, requires companies to notify employees and the public of mass layoffs or plant closings at least 60 days in advance.

“While we do not have plans to significantly reduce our store count, we expect a handful of JCPenney stores to close by mid-year. The decision to close a store is never an easy one, but isolated closures do happen from time to time due to expiring lease agreements, market changes or other factors. These closures are unrelated to the recent Catalyst Brands merger,” a JCPenney spokesperson wrote in an email.

In February, the spokesperson said the store would close May 16. They clarified Tuesday that the last day of operation will be May 11, the store will close May 12, and will vacate the mall by May 16.

Catalyst Brands is the new company formed after the January merger between JCPenney and SPARC Group, which owns retailers like Aéropostale and Nautica. Catalyst also owns Forever 21, whose Annapolis Mall location is also set to close in the near future. Forever 21 is not currently listed on the WARN Log, but it may not meet the state’s threshold of 50 employees, excluding part-time workers, to be forced to notify the Department of Labor.

According to mall officials, closures like these come from natural changes in the market. Malls nationwide, including the Annapolis Mall, are shifting toward more entertainment- and dining-based experiences. New tenants moving into the mall, like interactivity-focused Dick’s House of Sport and Dave and Busters, reflect this trend.

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