The bankruptcy filing caps a long decline for the 118-year-old department store chain, which once operated more than 1,600 locations that became fixtures in U.S. malls. The company at one point employed nearly 200,000 people. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, J.C. Penney was struggling with nearly $4 billion of debt and pressure from both discount retailers and e-commerce companies. Larger retailers such as Walmart Inc and Target Corp have squeezed smaller rivals by offering bargain-price apparel, including online. The coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in more than 80,000 deaths in the United States, is now forcing a financial reckoning among an array of retailers that had to temporarily close their doors under states' orders. Other retailers already grappling with customers' abandonment of traditional stores for online shopping have also resorted to bankruptcy filings.