Daniel Eran Dilger
Johnson introduced his plans to improve the performance and allure of the company's more than 1,100 department stores by getting rid of clearance sales and advertised promotions and instead promoting everyday low prices, "best prices" and month long deals.
The company also plans to introduce "store within a store" merchandizing that Johnson pioneered at Apple as a brand. The effort sounds similar to plans being taken by Target to replace a huge shopping experience with a series of boutique areas, usually focusing on a particular brand or designer.
The company printed a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal, introducing the company's new efforts as "No more pricing games. Just great prices from the start," and stating "we're not interested in being the biggest store or the flashiest store. We want to be your favorite store."
The ad has parallels to Apple's "Think Different" campaign, which attempted to reconnect the computer maker with its audience.
A decade after launching its own retail stores, Apple has reported $6.1 billion in quarterly revenues, along with plans to partner with Target in opening 25 new "stores within a store" locations this year.
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew O'Hara
Andrew Orr
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
William Gallagher
38 Comments
This may just work. Got to keep an eye on JCP.
He's a guy who clearly knows his retail, so I'm interested to see how they turn this rudderless ship around.
Very nice. Kudos to him. Perhaps we'll soon see clothing stores that ignite even some of the spark brought back into the experience of retail that Apple has put into buying computers.
He's a guy who clearly knows his retail, so I'm interested to see how they turn this rudderless ship around.
Ah, but shouldn't they fix the leak first?
Isn't it funny, these ships always leak from the top…
If he can revitalize JC Penny's, that would definitely be good for the economy and maybe I will actually shop there again. Currently, JC Penny's selection is subpar and feels cheap, and the store feels like it hasn't evolved since the 80s.
If he can revitalize JC Penny's, that would definitely be good for the economy and maybe I will actually shop there again. Currently, JC Penny's selection is subpar and feels cheap, and the store feels like it hasn't evolved since the 80s.
I agree, but this sounds like it is evolving into the 90's department store model, which doesn't do anything for me. (Ok, I am an engineer, but) what is the point of separating shirts from Calvin Klein from those from Tommy Hilfinger? I really don't give a damn about which label are in the clothes... and they are both made by the same company.
A big store needs to successfully create various oasis where shoppers transition from bulk logic to quality logic. The separation by "department" is functional, but the chaos of a "department store" is just frightening.
Maybe I'm just not Mall People though.