Department-store chain J.C. Penney, which has been showing signs of improvement after a botched turnaround effort, announced plans to shutter 39 underperforming stores, as the company continues to find its way out of America's worst malls. The company will close the locations on or around April 4, affecting 2,250 jobs, Joey Thomas, a spokesman, said in an e-mail. J.C. Penney closed 33 underperforming stores last year, cutting 2,000 jobs, also after a January announcement. J.C. Penney's decision underscores the growing gap between America's best and worst performing malls, which itself is a sign of the growing divide in the consumer economy. While high-end shopping centers featuring luxury brands -- the Bloomingdale's and Apple stores of the world -- are thriving, those on the lower end of the economic spectrum are struggling, and many are in terminal decline.