NEW YORK — J.C. Penney is on course to emerge from bankruptcy by Thanksgiving, after a U.S. bankruptcy court approved the sale of the ailing 118-year-old retailer to its two largest landlords and its primary lenders.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas approved a purchase agreement, announced earlier this fall, that has substantially all of J.C. Penney’s retail and operating assets being acquired by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Simon Property Group through a combination of cash and new term loan debt. The approval followed a lengthy court hearing on Monday.

Still, the retailer faces an uphill battle to attract shoppers this holiday season as they stay away from the malls and stores for safety reasons and shop online more. Meanwhile, Amazon and big discounters like Walmart and Target are only getting stronger as they offer low prices and one-stop shopping.

J.C. Penney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, becoming one of the largest retailers to do so during the pandemic amid a wave of store closures forced by the spread of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.