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Tag: JC Penney

  • Eva Longoria Tells How to Spice Up Your Bedroom

    Eva Longoria has some tips for putting some life back into you bedroom. Her suggestions may seem a little simplistic at first, but she says she learned a lot from her mother.

    When it comes to livening up your bedroom, Eva Longoria suggests changing your bedding. She says this is effective because it is “the center piece of the bedroom.”

    Of course, Eva Longoria has some more specific tips in that regard. “You can easily put a pop of color to brighten it in the summer, do a black-and-white in the winter to be a little bit more modern,” she said.

    She suggests decorative pillows.

    “I really love beading on pillows that is delicate and not overdone because the pillow has to be functional,” Eva Longoria told People. “I have some throw pillows in my house that you can’t sit on because you may get cut, but they’re pretty. They have this Indian silver beading. I’m always like ‘Ow! I think I just cut myself.’ I love light beading, light embroidery—just enough to give the pillows a pop.”

    “My mom always told me, ‘Make a house a home,’” she says, “and that’s a very big difference.”

    Eva Longoria’s tips came at the launch of her Eva Longoria Home Collection for JCPenney in L.A.

    “This is a natural extension of what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to do a home line,” Eva Longoria said.

    She says that her products are intended to be used and functional, not just some fancy stuff with a name on it that you would be afraid to get comfortable on.

    “Sometimes you go to people’s homes and you don’t want to sit on the couch and you don’t want to use the throw and you don’t want to touch the throw pillows,” she said. “This is a very functional line you can really use it and beat it up.”

    When it comes to getting Eva Longoria off her feet, she admits a fondness for her Solana line.

    “It’s so calming to me and whenever I look at it. It invites me to lay in it!”

  • Toys R Us Opening Thanksgiving Day

    Toys R Us is among the group of retailers who have decided to open for business on Thanksgiving Day. The toy chain will open their stores at 5:00 P.M. on the holiday, meaning employees in their stores will have to leave their family gatherings early and head to work.

    “We had incredibly positive feedback with customers who shopped with us on Thanksgiving last year,” Chief Merchandising Officer Richard Barry said in a recent interview.

    Toys R Us, along with other big-box retailers, have opened their stores earlier and earlier each year in an effort to get shoppers into their stores for the Black Friday rush. With so many online establishments offering good deals on Thanksgiving Day, brick and mortar stores quickly realized they were losing out on a distinct group of paying customers.

    “We saw that people really enjoyed the early opening, and frankly we saw the sales on Black Friday itself being very strong,” Barry said. “There wasn’t as much pressure on that 10 p.m. or midnight time. It was more spread out and people had a more civilized shopping experience.”

    Toys R Us also unveiled a few other initiatives on Thursday aimed to make the shopping experience smoother during the busy holiday season. The company is placing employees–each will be called a “Guru for Play Stuff,” at the front of the store to help assist customer navigation. New express lanes will help speed up the checkout process for those buying two items or less. Employees will also have the ability to scan items inside a cart and get their customers out the door quickly.

    Toys R Us seems to have thought of everything with regard to the Black Friday rush. It is actually beating stores like Macy’s, J.C. Penney, and Kohl’s, who are also opening Thanksgiving Day, but not until later in the evening. The one thing the store hasn’t addressed–at least not publicly–is how its employees feel about working on this holiday.

  • JCPenney Closing 33 Under-performing Stores In Spring

    The start of 2014 has not been a good one for various big-named retail stores. For example, Target encountered various issues with their credit card information debacle. Now, popular clothing and home-goods department store JCPenney recently announced that they will be closing various locations of its stores around the United States.

    According to CoStar.com, the popular chain JCPenney announced that they would be closing the doors to 33 under-performing stores around the country this upcoming spring. Unfortunately, with the retirement of these stores, this costs the jobs of 2,000 employees. The reason for these closures is to save money, and this is expected to save $65 million for the 2014 year.

    What will happen with the merchandise at these stores? CoStar.com explains that the leftover inventory from these stores will continue to be sold until the stores’ final closings during May.

    JCPenney’s CEO, Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, released the following statement pertaining to the closure of the 33 stores:

    “As we continue to progress toward long-term profitable growth, it is necessary to reexamine the financial performance of our store portfolio and adjust our national footprint accordingly.”

    According to a report from USA Today pertaining to the JCPenney closings, the chain has not has not closed a large number of its locations since 2000 and 2001.

    A list of the 33 stores pending to close their doors (provided by ABC News) is supplied below.

    Selma Mall in Selma, Ala.
    Arrow Plaza in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
    Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, Colo.
    Meriden Square in Meriden, Conn.
    Lake Square Mall in Leesburg, Fla.
    Gulf View Square in Port Richey, Fla.
    Muscatine Mall in Muscatine, Iowa
    Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale, Ill.
    Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth, Ill.
    Five Points Mall in Marion, Ind.
    Marketplace Shopping Center in Warsaw, Ind.
    The Centre at Salisbury in Salisbury, Md.
    Westwood Plaza in Marquette, Mich.
    Northland Mall in Worthington, Minn.
    Singing River Mall in Gautier, Miss.
    Natchez Mall in Natchez, Miss.
    Butte Plaza Shopping Center in Butte, Mont.
    Cut Bank, Mont.
    Vernon Park Mall in Kinston, N.C.
    Burlington Center in Burlington, N.J.
    Phillipsburg Mall in Phillipsburg, N.J.
    Wayne Towne Plaza in Wooster, Ohio
    Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pa.
    Laurel Mall in Hazleton, Pa.
    Washington Mall in Washington, Pa.
    Northgate Mall in Chattanooga, Tenn.
    Bristol Mall in Bristol, Va.
    Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, Va.
    Forest Mall in Fond Du Lac, Wis.
    Janesville Mall in Janesville, Wis.
    Lincoln Plaza Center in Rhinelander, Wis.
    Cedar Mall in Rice Lake, Wis.
    Wausau Mall in Wausau, Wis.

    Is your JCPenney store closing? Various JCPenney shopping fans have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • J.C. Penney Announces The Closing of 33 Stores Nationwide, Cuts 2,000 Jobs

    On Wednesday, Jan. 15 the J.C. Penney Company, Inc. announced that it would be closing a total of 33 stores across the United States.

    In a brief press release earlier today, the ailing retail chain stated that the executive order was made as apart of the company’s ‘turnaround effort’ to focus its attention on opportunities with the highest growth potential. The 33 stores that have been selected for closure are categorized as underperforming locations.

    The store closures are projected to assist the retailer with retaining substantial profitability, with an annual cost savings of approximately $65 million. The company also projects to incur approximately $26 million in pre-tax charges for the fourth quarter of the 2013 fiscal year, and $17 million for future quarters thereafter.

    It was also stated that the store closures will eliminate approximately 2,000 jobs. However, eligible associates who ultimately end up leaving the company will receive a separation benefits package.

    J.C. Penney’s chief executive officer Myron Ullman III also issued a statement of address in regards to the announcement. “As we continue to progress toward long-term profitable growth, it is necessary to reexamine the financial performance of our store portfolio and adjust our national footprint accordingly,” said Ullman.

     “While it’s always difficult to make a business decision that impacts our valued customers and associates, this important step addresses a strategic priority to improve the profitability of our stores and position JCPenney for future success.”

    According to CNN Money, last year was financially daunting for the mid-range department store. The company has reportedly suffered a staggering stock plunge of approximately 60% over the past 12 months, with a deficit amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars per quarter.

    The company’s press release also included an official list of the stores that will be closing.

    J.C. Penney’s announcement comes just one week after Macy’s announced that it would be closing five stores, and laying off 2,500 workers.

    Image via Facebook | JCPenney

  • JC Penney’s New Ad: You Came Back To Us, Thank You

    A couple weeks ago, JC Penney put out an ad essentially begging customers to come back after alienating a third of them, and dropping holiday sales by 32%.

    The ad, which has since been set to private on YouTube, said, “It’s no secret, recently JCPenney changed. Some changes you liked and some you didn’t, but what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you. To hear what you need, to make your life more beautiful. Come back to JCPenney, we heard you. Now, we’d love to see you.”

    Now, they’re out with a new ad. Instead of “I’m Sorry,” the message this time is, “Thank you.” In fact, the title of the video is simply, “Thank You”.

    “At JC Penney, we never stop being amazed by you,” the ad says. “How you work so hard without looking like you do, how you make every dollar stretch so far, and keep your family so close, so we brought back the things you liked about JC Penney, gave you new things to explore, and now, we’re happy to say, you’ve come back to us. We’re speechless, except for two little words.”

    They’re still promoting the hashtag #jcpListens. You can see how they’ve been working social media here.

  • Will JC Penney’s Social Media Strategy Help It Win Back Customers?

    Update: Interestingly JC Penney has now set the video to private.

    JC Penney has put out a video apologizing for alienating loyal customers, and essentially begging them to come back.

    Will it work? Let us know what you think in the comments.

    The basic gist goes like this: We did some stuff that upset you, and we’re acknowledging that we screwed up (without saying specifically what we screwed up exactly). But you have to admit, you liked some of the stuff we did. Right? Anyway, please, please, please come back and shop with us again.

    The actual wording goes: “It’s no secret, recently JCPenney changed. Some changes you liked and some you didn’t, but what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you. To hear what you need, to make your life more beautiful. Come back to JCPenney, we heard you. Now, we’d love to see you.”

    As you’re probably aware, JC Penney brought in CEO Ron Johnson a couple years ago, who decided to push for a wealthier customer base, and got rid of the store’s sales (which obviously didn’t sit well with the regulars). Recently, Johnson stepped down, and the company brought back the guy they had before him (Mike Ullman).

    So, they’re sorry.

    Last year, the company reportedly lost about a third of their customers because of the whole thing. A third. On top of that, holiday sales dropped 32%. No wonder they’re apologizing.

    When Ullman’s appointment as CEO was announced last month, the company described him as a “highly accomplished retail industry executive.”

    “We are fortunate to have someone with Mike’s proven experience and leadership abilities to take the reins at the Company at this important time,” said Thomas Engibous, Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. “He is well-positioned to quickly analyze the situation jcpenney faces and take steps to improve the Company’s performance.”

    “While jcpenney has faced a difficult period, its legacy as a leader in American retailing is an asset that can be built upon and leveraged,” Ullman said at the time. “To that end, my plan is to immediately engage with the Company’s customers, team members, vendors and shareholders, to understand their needs, views and insights. With that knowledge, I will work with the leadership team and the Board to develop and clearly articulate a game plan to establish a foundation for future success.”

    The new ad is certainly a good first step towards the engagement he speaks of. People are indeed engaging. The company has been promoting the ad and the mantra “#jcpListens” all over social media, and has been rigorously responding to customers. Here’s a snapshot of just the last hour on Twitter alone:

    JC Penney on Twitter

    They’ve also been running polls on Facebook (hat tip: Business Insider), and further engaging with customers. Earlier this week, for example, they asked fans what their favorite JC Penney brand is:

    St. John's Bay Poll

    With St. John’s Bay clearly leading the charge, they also announced that the brand (cut under Johnson) will be returning:

    Of course it’s going to take a little more than social media to truly turn things around for the company. Luckily, they recently got a five-year $1.75 billion loan from Goldman Sachs. The company said the money will be used to fund “ongoing working capital requirements,” “general corproate purposes,” and part of its debt.

    “This loan facility is an important component of our strategic plan to strengthen the Company’s financial position,” said CFO Ken Hannah. Together with our revolving credit facility, this will give us the financial strength we need to meet our current funding requirements and build toward a successful future.”

    Will JC Penney win back customers with its new efforts? Share your thoughts in the comments.

  • The Trials & Tribulations of J.C. Penney’s ‘Fair and Square’ Strategy

    When the country and, really, the world is descending into an economic sinkhole, you have to play your hand carefully when it comes to how you try to gin up some business and stay afloat. Typically, you’ll see companies shake things up by trying some novel approaches of commerce like revamping the brand’s logo or changing up the company’s promotional plans.

    J.C. Penney took a stab at this approach earlier this year under the leadership of new CEO Ron Johnson, who had formerly been Apple’s head of retail. If anybody knows about minting a brand and successfully promoting it to ridiculous levels of popularity, it’s Apple. On the surface, you’d expect that J.C. Penney would be headed to the promised land of retail. Until it didn’t.

    The retail chain actually began to tank, prompting market analysts to start brushing up a rough draft for J.C. Penney’s obituary.

    With everything looking like J.C. Penney was on the verge of imploding, how did it all go so wrong? Martha Guidry, the principal at The Rite Concept, said she doesn’t blame the retailer for trying to implement bad ideas, but rather for implementing ideas badly.

    “I don’t think the strategy was bad,” Guidry said, “It’s been the execution of that strategy that has really gone afoul for them.” She goes on to absolve Johnson of any blame, as well, saying that the marketing ideas that J.C. Penney had tried to enact were actually great ideas but the company didn’t successfully communicate its new pricing strategy to customers.

    Guidry said that J.C. Penney’s attempt to get rid of coupons and sales was a savvy idea but that they failed to make it relevant to the consumer. Citing the company’s “Fair and Square” approach that aimed to offer a sales price everyday, J.C. Penney failed to make the concept relevant to shoppers. “If would have been really easy for them to have said, ‘Fair and Square pricing is a sale price everyday,’ and I think people would’ve gotten it but they didn’t communicate it that way,” she said.

    That seems like an amateur mistake on the company’s behalf because you’d have to make a pretty horrible fumble if you fail to make customers understand that you’re giving them stuff for cheaper prices. That should be like shooting fish in a barrel, really. Guidry said that J.C. Penney should have spent more time testing this idea with consumers and that the company should have spent more time testing out the strategy. “A test market with 100 stores would have allowed them to fine-tune the language and get it right before they launched it for the full chain.”

    Although the retailer was attempting to trek off the well-worn path of its traditional marketing strategy, the plan wasn’t inherently doomed. J.C. Penney just didn’t spend enough time developing any actual language that would normal people would understand. “J.C. Penney probably a leap of faith or maybe a leap-frog step,” Guidry opined. “They went from having this idea to jumping into this advertising language that really didn’t resonate, so I think they skipped a step and it’s done them a huge disservice.”

    In light of the advertising backfire, though, J.C. Penney plans to adjust its marketing message but will keep with the current strategy for now. Guidry thinks that’s a step in the right direction. “Their fundamental idea of ‘Fair and Square’ pricing is a great idea, but I don’t think it makes sense to the average American consumer.” Guidry concluded, “If they can find language that is more meaningful to the consumer, it’ll help a lot.”

    J.C. Penney has one more quarter of the 2012 fiscal year to work out the kinks of its ‘Fair and Square’ promotion and try to turn things around before the retailer, like the rest of the commerce world, barrels into the holiday shopping season at the end of the year.