U.S. retailer Macy’s Inc., which operates a chain of 840 stores nationwide, said Thursday it will open two new Macy’s stores in the Central Valley of California ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The locations were acquired through the bankruptcy process of Gottschalks, which was once a 58-store regional department store chain with a concentration of stores in the western U.S.

Gottschalks went into liquidation in March after an initial Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The former retailer set a June 1 deadline to close all its stores.

The acquired stores are in River Park in Fresno and Visalia Mall in Visalia. They require minor remodeling and some new fixtures, Macy’s said. Combined, the stores are expected to employ 250 people.

Macy’s chairman and chief executive Terry Lundgren said the locations would serve “the important Central Valley market.”

California