Ron Johnson seeks to bring Apple Store savvy to J.C. Penney

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.