J.C. Penney

In a surprising move for the conventional Fox News pundit, Bill O'Reilly came to the rescue of Ellen DeGeneres, who is currently facing heat from conservative groups over her recent partnership with J.C. Penney.

Ralph Lauren's president said the company and J.C. Penney have decided to drop the exclusive American Living line of home, apparel and accessories goods, which, when it launched at J.C. Penney in 2008, marked the retailer's single largest brand introduction in history.

When J.C. Penney announced in December that it cut a deal to carry Martha Stewart-branded home goods in its stores, it didn't take Macy's long to say, Wait a minute, Martha.

Excess inventory due to changing consumer behaviors, aggressive competitor actions or simply missed forecasts is a fact of life. When the inevitable happens, marketing can help in various ways. From in-season promotions and end-of-season clearance sales on your website to outlet stores and third-party distribution, retailers can deploy several strategies to aid in the liquidation of extra inventory.

J.C. Penney said it fully backs its partnership with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres after a conservative group urged the retailer to reconsider hiring DeGeneres as a spokeswoman because she's a lesbian.

When Ron Johnson broke the news to Steve Jobs that he was leaving Apple to become CEO of J.C. Penney, his boss' first question was, "Are you serious?" Johnson has received the same reaction countless times since that day last year in Mr. Jobs' living room. And the surprises didn't end with his decision to depart the world's hottest brand for a struggling department-store group.

J.C. Penney unveiled a new corporate logo yesterday, giving the store its third in as many years. The new branding evokes the American flag but jettisons everything else that was familiar about the company's last two logos.

J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40 percent so shoppers will no longer have to wait for a sale to get the lowest prices in its stores. The company said yesterday that it's getting rid of the hundreds of sales it offers each year in favor of a simpler approach to pricing.

Target is reaching out to its vendors as part of a potential new pricing strategy to up its competitiveness with both online and brick-and-mortar rivals. The retailer has sent a letter to some of its vendors just as J.C. Penney is about unveil a sweeping overhaul of its pricing strategy. J.C. Penney plans to eliminate many of the promotions shoppers see in its stores.

Kohl's is the recipient of the People's Pick award in the Harris Poll Customer Relationship Series. The award recognizes the strength of consumers' bonds with midtier department stores and reflects their connections and future intentions.