J.C. Penney Introduces New Home Services
J.C. Penney is rolling out new home services in all 13 of its Dallas-Fort Worth stores. The Dallas Morning News reports the retailer started testing a heating and cooling system partnership with Trane and has expanded into bathroom remodeling, plumbing and window blind installation. Recently, J.C. Penney has tried moving towards bigger-ticket items in the home category, including kitchen and laundry appliance showrooms, a departure from its traditional retail merchandise.
Total Retail's Take: Another transition for J.C. Penney as it tries to find its way back to profitability. A few years ago with Ron Johnson at the helm, the retailer moved toward a shops-within-shops model, similar to his vision for Apple, Johnson's previous employer. One partnership that has worked for J.C. Penney is its pairing with Sephora. Now, with Marvin Ellison as CEO, J.C. Penney is making changes again, going back to discounts and moving more and more towards appliance sales. With Ellison's background at Home Depot, it's not surprising this is the route he has chosen.
