LAKEWOOD — The JC Penney located within the Chautauqua Mall is not among 18 stores slated to be closed this year by the struggling retailer.

Though the company has not formally released the list of non-profitable department stores that will be closed, Carter English, corporate communications and public relations spokesman for JC Penney confirmed to The Post-Journal on Tuesday that the Chautauqua Mall location is not among them.

There are more than 860 JC Penney stores across the country and Puerto Rico. The company announced last week that 18 stores would close as part of a “standard annual review.”

In addition, nine home and furniture stores will be shuttered in the fall.

“This decision is the result of an ongoing review of our store portfolio, which includes assessing locations that may not meet our required financial targets or represent an opportunity to capitalize on a beneficial real estate asset,” the company said in a statement to The Post-Journal. “It’s never easy taking actions that directly impact our valued associates and customers, however we feel this is a necessary business decision.”

English said eligible associates who do not transfer to another JC Penny location will receive separation benefits, and all impacted associates may participate in a three hour on-site career training class.

JC Penny remains one of the mall’s biggest anchors. Sears closed its Lakewood location last year as the company entered bankruptcy protection while Bon Ton closed its location in the mall and in Warren, Pa., last summer.