J.C. Penney Debuts ‘Shops’ Concept

As part of its new retail strategy, J.C. Penney has announced plans to transform its department stores into a collection of brand shops, the first of which are debuting this month for the back-to-school season. The transformation, which will see J.C. Penney stores divided into 80 to 100 brand shops over the next four years, began last week with the unveiling of three shops — Levis, i jeans by Buffalo and The Original Arizona Jean Co. — in close to 700 stores nationwide.