J.C. Penney Co. announced Friday that it will be closing two distribution centers and up to 140 stores in the next few months. The announcement is part of the company’s plan to “return to profitability.”

Citing the closures as an effort to build on successful locations and raise the overall brand standard of the company, Marvin R. Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of JCPenney said this plan also helps the company’s competitiveness.

“We believe closing stores will also allow us to adjust our business to effectively compete against the growing threat of online retailers,” Ellison said in a press release. “Maintaining a large store base gives us a competitive advantage in the evolving retail landscape since our physical stores are a destination for personalized beauty offerings, a broad array of special sizes, affordable private brands and quality home goods and services. It is essential to retain those locations that present the best expression of the JCPenney brand and function as a seamless extension of the omnichannel experience through online order fulfillment, same-day pick up, exchanges and returns.”

The total store closures represent approximately 13 to 14 percent of the company’s current store portfolio. J.C. Penney executives have not released the specific locations that will close, but plan to do so by mid-March.

Utah County’s local store, located at Provo Towne Centre, is reportedly one of the highest-performing locations. A manager there, speaking on condition of anonymity, said because of that, they are fairly confident that the Provo location will not be closed.