J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is closing a catalog call center in Chesterfield County in March and laying off about 250 people in a region already hit by high unemployment. The center, on Alverser Drive near Chesterfield Towne Center, primarily handles catalog orders. But a decline in call volume in recent years is forcing Penney’s to close the center, company spokesman Tim Lyons said. The chain is keeping open its four other call centers elsewhere in the country.

J.C. Penney Inc. has notified the state that it plans to lay off up to 252 employees in Chesterfield County by April, according to a WARN notice filed with the state.

NEW YORK Some of fashion’s best-known names are playing musical chairs. Faced with a consolidating department store industry and eroding sales, some labels are cutting ties with retailers that sold their clothing and betting their future with one chain. Liz Claiborne Inc.‘s announced last month that it’s moving its namesake line to J.C. Penney Co. from Macy’s Inc. Other stores have made similar moves with other major brands, like Tommy Hilfiger and Dana Buchman.