J.C. Penney Has a New Chief Merchant

Every now and then in corporate America, a person gets to mentor her successor and watch him grow into the job. That’s what just happened at J.C. Penney. John Tighe, 46, has been named executive vice president and chief merchant at J.C. Penney, following his mentor, Liz Sweney, into the top merchandising role at the Plano, Texas-based department store. Sweney will retire at the end of this year. Tighe moves into his new job Oct. 1 and Sweney will stay on the rest of the year in an advisory role.