Nittany Mall Bon-Ton to close

Another one bites the dust.

Just days after the doors were locked at Sears, the Nittany Mall is taking another hit with the announcement of Bon-Ton’s closing.

The department store chain announced the State College store’s demise on a long list of shutterings that will take place in coming weeks.

“As part of the comprehensive turnaround plan we announced in November, we are taking the next steps in our efforts to move forward with a more productive store footprint,” said Bon-Ton’s President and CEO Bill Tracy.

That more productive footprint is a lot smaller.

“Including other recently announced store closures, we expect to close a total of 47 stores in early 2018. We remain focused on executing our key initiatives to drive improved performance in an effort to strengthen our capital structure to support the business going forward,” Tracy said.

The Nittany Mall is not the only shopping center in central Pennsylvania that’s losing a Bon-Ton.

The list also included closures for stores in DuBois and Johnstown.

According to the company, going-out-of-business sales start Thursday and will continue for 10-12 weeks.

Bon-Ton follows in the footsteps of Sears and JC Penney, two anchor stores that left the Nittany Mall in recent years. JC Penney was replaced by Dunham’s Sports. No replacement has been announced for Sears.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Nittany Mall Bon-Ton to close."