July 16, 2009

JCPenney Set to Open Its First-Ever Store in on July 31

153,000-Square-Foot Store in Busy Area Showcases Retailer's Innovation and Affordable Style

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- J. C. Penney Company, Inc., (NYSE:JCP), the legendary American retailer with a 107-year history and more than 1,100 stores from coast to coast, has never had a store on the island of Manhattan. That will change beginning July 31, when the Company celebrates the grand opening of a brand-new JCPenney department store at 33rd Street and 6th Avenue in the heart of City, America's capital.

JCPenney's 153,000-square-foot store will be a unique showcase for great style, quality and affordable prices in one of the busiest shopping districts in America. From its location near Herald Square, the new JCPenney store will serve an enormous customer base that includes local residents, commuters, business travelers and tourists and will build on the strength of its other highly successful stores in Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.

A Century in the Making

Although JCPenney maintained its corporate office in Manhattan from 1914 to 1988, the store is a first. "It took more than a hundred years for JCPenney to get to Manhattan, and now more than ever, the time is right," said Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our Company today has the financial strength to create a unique and inviting store in the heart of New York City, and with our assortment of great brands, we will offer Manhattan shoppers the style they want at affordable prices."

The two-level store in the freshly renovated Manhattan Mall is accessible from street level as well as directly from two of Manhattan's busiest public transportation terminals - the -Herald Square subway station and the 33rd Street PATH train station. More than 250,000 people pass through these terminals daily. The store is also one block from Penn Station and close to both the business district of and the tourist center of Times Square.

"The entire store team is energized to take part in this milestone achievement for our Company," said store manager Joe Cardamone, who most recently managed the Bronx JCPenney store. "With our merchandise, store environment and services, we have created a new department store experience tailored to the needs of the Manhattan customer - the people who live, work and visit here. We're confident they will love what JCPenney has to offer."

With approximately 500 Associates, the Manhattan store team will be one of the largest of any JCPenney store. Chosen from more than 15,000 applicants, the store team is being trained in JCPenney's CustomerFIRST standards, which empower Associates to make customers their No. 1 priority and provide an easy, exciting and engaging shopping experience. The CustomerFIRST initiative helped JCPenney rank first among department store retailers and seventh overall in the NRF Foundation/American Express 2008 Customer Service Survey, which polled more than 8,000 consumers on their attitudes toward retailers' customer service.

Made for Manhattan

Inside the mall, a three-story, lighted JCPenney sign hangs above the escalators leading down to the store. Customers entering from the PATH and subway stations will pass through 22-foot-long portals tiled and painted in JCPenney's signature red.

Inside, the store's layout and many of its features and amenities have been tailored to fit the unique location and needs of time-pressured, commuting customers. More than 1,000 new merchandise display fixtures have been created or modified for the store, resulting in a modern, intimate and accessible shopping environment that's easy to navigate.

For convenience and speedy checkout, the store features nearly 100 registers and an electronic queuing system that directs customers to available registers and informs customers of their estimated wait times. In addition, every store register provides a gateway to jcp.com and its extended selection of merchandise, some of which may not be widely available in stores due to space constraints or time of year - including extended sizes and colors, specialized offerings such as children's furniture or outdoor furniture, as well as options for home or store delivery. Style for the Times

As a showplace for JCPenney's stepped-up style in the heart of Manhattan, the store will feature JCPenney's outstanding assortment of brands, including:

-- Some of the most recognized national brands such as Kitchenaid(R), Southpole(R), Nike(R) and adidas(R). -- Exclusive brands and designer collaborations, such as I "Heart" Ronson (R), ALLEN B.(R), Bisou Bisou(R), Fabulosity and nicole by Nicole Miller (R). -- Two new exclusive brands - home brand Cindy Crawford Style and menswear brand JOE Joseph Abboud(R) - that will debut at the Manhattan store, two months before arriving in other JCPenney stores. -- An array of stylish teen and children's brands for back-to-school shopping, including three recently launched surf-and-skate-inspired brands for young men: RS By Sheckler, Rusty, and Third Rail a Zoo York Production. -- American Living(R), the new tradition in American style for family and home, which was developed for the JCPenney customer by Polo Ralph Lauren's Global Brand Concepts. -- Industry-leading private brands such as Stafford(R) for men, Worthington (R) for women, Ambrielle(R) in lingerie and Linden StreetTM for the home. -- America's best assortment of window coverings from Waverly(R), Croscill (R), Linden Street(TM), Studio(R) and more, offered in a range of ready-made and custom-sized solutions to dress any window in style.

The store also showcases a 2,000-square-foot Sephora beauty boutique boasting a selection of the best Sephora has to offer, including some of the most desired brands in makeup, skincare, fragrance, and accessories, and staffed by a team of beauty experts.

Taking it to the Streets

A special marketing campaign tied to the store opening includes a distinctive "NYC/JCP" logo, Manhattan skyline graphic and unique shopping bag and is aimed at New Yorkers of all types - natives, transplants and suburbanites. The initial campaign incorporates billboards, bus shelter and subway signs, wrapped tour buses, direct mail and digital components such as e-mail and cell phone advertising to reach New Yorkers where they live with edgy, fun messages that break through the clutter and highlight JCPenney's stepped-up style. For four days following the grand opening, JCPenney "street teams" will turn up in public spaces around Manhattan for fashion demonstrations and prize give-aways, along with entry forms for a $1,000 shopping spree, while specially branded pedicabs will offer free rides to the new JCPenney store.

A festive grand opening ceremony is planned for Friday, July 31, at 9:30 a.m. in Greeley Square Park across the street from the store, with activities continuing throughout the weekend. Regular store hours will be Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For a map and other store information, please visit www.jcp.com/nyc.

The Manhattan store is among five JCPenney stores celebrating grand openings on July 31. Other openings are planned in Hiram, Ga.; Lee's Summit, Mo.; Fairview, Texas; and Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

About JCPenney

JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,101 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $18.5 billion in 2008 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's "Every Day Matters" brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company's approximately 150,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.