J.C. Penney

This week's top article of the week (as determined by readers’ clickthroughs) is an article/video hybrid that details J.C. Penney's new store-within-a-store layout. Retail Online Integration's Online Content Editor Caitlin Sullivan attended the grand opening of Penney's newest store at the Willow Grove Park mall in surburban Philadelphia to capture what this new retail strategy is all about. Check out her report. This leads me to a more broad discussion regarding the future of brick-and-mortar retail stores.

J.C. Penney appears to have returned to a practice it once condemned: couponing. At the bottom of the latest of Chief Executive Ron Johnson's increasingly frequent emails to customers, J.C. Penney offers a "gift": a barcoded offer for $10 off customers’ next purchase of at least $10. "We can't wait for you to see the new and improved jcp," the promotion says.

It's been nine months since Chief Executive Ron Johnson began his mission to turn J.C. Penney into "JCP, America's Favorite Store." Last week, the brand took another step in its transformation with the introduction of a new layout for its U.S. stores. The revolutionized way of shopping, deemed a "shop within a shop" in the…

Welcome to this week's "Pin of the Week." This week's featured pin is an infographic titled "The Social Retail Competition" from Unmetric, a social media analytics provider. The infographic is based on a study by Unmetric that focuses on how retailers are battling it out in the social media space.

As you read this, you're likely in the middle of or wrapping up your busy back-to-school season, so your thoughts may not be on the upcoming holidays. But if last year is any indication, you should probably start thinking about it. Holiday 2012 figures to be another blockbuster shopping season for cross-channel retailers.

J.C. Penney dropped the most in four months after Chief Executive Officer Ron Johnson's showcase of the stores’ new layout failed to inspire confidence in his remake of the 110-year-old retailer. The shares fell 11 percent to $25.83 at the close in New York, the biggest one-day drop since May 16. The Plano, Texas-based company was the biggest decliner on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index yesterday and has lost 27 percent this year.

The former Target chief marketing officer and J.C. Penney president will join Gap on Sept. 17 in an advisory role, Ad Age has learned. According to an executive close to the company, Gap CEO Glenn Murphy recently announced the news to a select group of executives. Mr. Francis will be the company's first marketing creative adviser and is expected to spend two weeks a month in the Gap offices. A Gap spokeswoman declined to comment. Mr. Francis could not immediately be reached for comment.

In the first half of fiscal 2012, J.C. Penney's sales dropped 21.3 percent, or $1.7 billion. At an investor conference today, the company's chief financial officer indicated that the rest of the year will be consistent with that of the first half, or another 20 percent. This is in harmony with my forecast published here on Aug. 1. At this pace, the drop will total over $3 billion for the full year. While earnings will also be lower, the company reiterated its view that cash will build to $1 billion at year-end.

A bid by Macy's to stop JC Penney Co. from selling products designed by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. will be denied, a New York judge said after a hearing. Justice Jeffrey Oing in Manhattan today said he will rule against Macy's request for a preliminary injunction blocking JC Penney from taking any steps under an agreement reached with Martha Stewart Living last year. Macy's sued Martha Stewart Living in January to stop it from executing a sales agreement with JC Penney announced in December, with Macy's claiming an exclusive right to sell Martha Stewart products in certain categories.

Responsys, a provider of on-demand marketing solutions, recently released its fourth annual Email Design Look Book, including 20 emails from companies such as Threadless, lululemon, J.C. Penney and Madewell. The book displays some of the top designs and email marketing campaigns of the year. Some of the categories the campaigns were judged on included delivering the unexpected, personalized content, cohesive design and how the companies incorporated their social pages, such as Pinterest and Twitter, in their campaigns.