Ninety-one employees are slated to lose their jobs in August when J.C. Penney shutters its department store at Southdale Center in Edina.

The retailer notified the city of Edina and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development of the impending layoffs this week.

The store is expected to close on Aug. 13. Some employees may hang onto their jobs until Aug. 27, a couple of weeks after the store closes, the company said. In addition, J.C. Penney said it expects some employees will find positions at other stores within the chain.

The Southdale store is one of nine stores in Minnesota, and is among more than 130 stores nationwide that J.C. Penney is closing this year as it cuts underperforming stores and retools its stores and business for the digital age. It's one of many retailers who are hustling to adapt to the shift to online shopping.

The J.C. Penney space at Southdale has already been claimed by Life Time, the Chanhassen-based fitness chain. It plans to raze the building and build a ritzy, 120,000-square-foot athletic center in its place. The three-floor facility will feature an outdoor pool on the roof and a bistro, among other amenities.

The Southdale store is planning to start its liquidation sale on June 19. The other Minnesota stores closing are in outstate Minnesota — Baxter, Fairmont, Faribault, Hibbing, Hutchinson, Red Wing, Thief River Falls, Winona, and Faribault.

Macy's, which shuttered its downtown Minneapolis flagship store earlier this year, is closing 70 stores nationwide this year. Sears is also closing more than 150 stores, including locations in Mankato and Coon Rapids.

Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113