Dive Brief:

• J.C. Penney announced Thursday that it will be closing 40 stores and cutting 2,250 jobs by April this year. Last year, the retailer similarly cut 33 stores and about 2,000 jobs.

• The report comes on the heels of the retailer’s announcement of a healthy 3.7% sales gain over the holidays.

• Employees let go will receive job training and some will be eligible for severance packages.

Dive Insight:

J.C. Penney continues to get its ducks in a row, working to improve profitability after stabilizing sales over the past year. Former Home Depot CEO Marvin Ellison arrives on the job in August, when we may begin to see more dramatic changes...although perhaps not so dramatic as the ultimately ditched changes tried at the behest of you-know-who.