JC Penney unveils Joe Fresh brand at local stores
Joe Fresh, one of Canada’s favorite apparel brands, will be available in JC Penney stores beginning Friday. Photo courtesy of JC Penney
On Friday the JC Penney stores at Tanglewood and Valley View will unveil the Joe Fresh brand, the latest in many changes to the stores.
Joe Fresh is a Canadian line that JC Penney describes as “modern basics” for women.
Work has been ongoing at both Roanoke-area stores to create a Joe Fresh “shop,” or designated area for the line.
At Tanglewood the shop will be located just inside the department store’s entrance to the rest of the mall. At Valley View the shop is also located near the entrance to the rest of the mall on the upper level.
JC Penney has angered many of its customers with the changes that have been made under the new CEO. First came a new pricing structure, which included the elimination of sales and coupons. Then the company rearranged its stores to create shops – designated areas for each brand. In September the company introduced the jcp brand of clothing.
Many customers have complained on a previous blog post that they can’t find the St. John’s Bay brand in stores. That brand appears to be available on the retailer’s website. Other commenters have said the quality of clothing isn’t as good as it was before the changes.
Have you been in JC Penney’s lately? What’s your take on the changes?
March 13, 2013 - 7:30 AM
I thought I’d give JC Penney another try this week. I need to update my business wardrobe and used to buy most of by suits and other business wear there. After an hour in the store looking around and even trying a couple items on, I left with nothing. They no longer carry pants suits in the stores. They no longer carry petite dresses in the stores. Petite length jeans were almost non existent. The shoe selection would have been great for a 15 year old, but not a 40 year old expected to dress convervatively for business. The dresses I tried on were all poor quality (some already fraying or looking damaged) and the fit was terrible.
I don’t want to be a complainer, but I have to wonder what on earth Penneys was thinking. I get that they are trying for young and modern. It’s just not working, though. Prices aren’t that great, the elderly shoppers are turned off by the blaring music, and the middle aged ones can’t find what we’re looking for.
I was recently in the JCP store at New River Valley Mall and WOW….I felt like the shelves were bare, hardly any selection, lots of free floor and wall space with no merchandise. Housewares department and where the catalog department used to be are just about completely empty. Kinda gave me the feeling that store won’t be there much longer??? It’s very disappointing as this used to be one my favorite stores but I have to admit I have purchased nothing there since all these changes started taking place.
I have read a lot about the changes going on at JCPenney, and my opinion has always been that they, like SEARS, are circling the drain. The weird thing is that when I needed to buy jeans recently, I went straight to JCPenney without even thinking about it… I wasn’t even consciously aware that this was the company having so many problems, at least at first.
For the most part, it was a good experience. I found jeans in my size, which usually never happens. Guess that’s because other people had given up on JCPenney. The main reason I went in is because I had remembered that they often had sales where the jeans were $29.99 a pair, although that’s usually around back-to-school time. I was a little disappointed to find that their Levi’s were $40 a pair, but after going online to check Amazon, the prices there were about the same.
There was only one cashier serving three or four different departments, which proves my theory that no matter how slow business is, management will understaff to the point that the available cashiers (just one in this case) still can’t keep up. That part could have taken longer than it did, but luckily I wasn’t in a hurry.
A couple days later, my wife told me about a sale at KOHL’S where if you bought one pair of Levi’s, you got another one for 50% off. This seems great until you realize that their “regular price” is the full $58 MSRP, so two pair will cost around $90. Can’t say I was thrilled to pay $40 a pair at JCP, but when other stores are gonna mind-screw you into paying more during a so-called “sale”, I’d rather just pay a fair price and get on with my life instead of chasing sales that don’t really save me money.
I’m not a shill for JCP, and I still think they’re in big trouble, but I just wanted to point out that all the stores that seem to be thriving aren’t exactly doing it by giving customers the best value for their money. Buyer beware!
Okay, so now can I be a blogger too?
@Spiny: You can be my guest blogger
The last time I went to JCP was at Tanglewood just after the holiday rush. I wanted to return some men’s long undies I had given a friend. The credit was less than the amount I’d paid–”the price was marked wrong when you bought them” was the given reason. So first I overpaid and then was under-credited. What a way to do business! There was one person at the cash register, and she was totally overwhelmed; there were at least ten people on line, and it took a LONG time to be waited on. I must say, the markdowns were generous, but they only brought prices to the point they should have been originally. Styles? Not so good. Dresses and suits for older women? Dreadful (show me the 65-year-old woman who wants to show her knees, let alone her thighs, to the world). Shoe department? One hostile salesperson and overpriced last-year’s styles. JCP is not a winner in my book–yet I saw some silk shirts in their recent catalog that has me thinking seriously of checking them out. Hope dies hard.
The new JC Penny’s is fresh and chic. The shops are more upscale and the store is acturally nicer then the Belks at least at Valley View. Belk looks trashy there. Departments are clean and inviting not like Sears which looks like you took a stick to it and stirred it up. Keep up the good work Penny’s and bring on Sephora baby!!
#6 Chris, how long have you worked at JC Penney, and do you realize how many people they’ve fired by JCP over the past twelve months?
Every financial analyst in the US has agreed that JCP has performed disastrously in the last year. That their product quality has drastically decreased. That their customer service has dropped through the basement. That they’re closing stores across the nation. That their stock price has dropped by more than half. That EVERY business analyst agrees they’re headed towards bankruptcy and extinction?
So… Chris, pretend what you like. That doesn’t make the garbage quality of the apparel and the totally absent customer service any less obvious. JC Penney is going out of business, it’s just a matter of time.
JCP-lights on, no one home.
Gee, I wonder what a member of the Board of Directors thinks about JC Penney’s performance, and their future? Oh, I don’t know. Let’s check his wallet to find out…
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jcpenney-cfo-steve-roth-dumped-214104434.html
Yeah, I’m sure he is also pretending he’s amazed with the excellence of JCP merchandising and product quality.
Crooked road. I have worked in the corporate offices for years for Penny’s. Trust me we are not going out of business. We are getting better and stronger every day with the new shops being offered. Check us out again Friday for the grand opening of the latest Joe shops. Plan to be amazed.
Between Spiny Norman & Crooked Road that just about sums up the state of the retail industry today.
Merchants who put out fair prices everyday lose out to the “perception” of getting a deal such as the ‘Levi’s’ deal seen above.
“Discount” is not a ‘four letter word’. It’s a deceptive term for taking advantage of the unwary consumer.
The problem with JCP they are trying to cash in on very cheaply made, high faux MSRP, fad driven clothing, aka not style, or long term investment, nor everyday wear. Yeah, was our goto store for jeans, belts, shirts, underware, jacket for wedding, sandals, sneakers, etc, without thinking. I would not use a restroom in a JCP, Ron’s treatment of his store employees is if they were are cannon fodder is appalling, you know, less than 20 hours, no commisiion, looks like he enjoys firing older workers, replaced with young, cheaper. What is it 900 million in savings from firing and store closing, he jets into a 2-4 day work week on JCP’s private jet, stays at a $$$$ hotel while at work.
Most of those labelled designer crap is “made for JCP”, Target has “limited edition” stuff, most likely where Ronnie got the idea, same junk, just put a new name spin on it calling it made for. This stuff will have an amazing MFSR $1,000 price but good old Ron is selling it for $120. There is a reason, if your wallet can stand the stain, you will not find Ron’s made for stuff under that label at say Nordstrom, Nordstorm wouldn’t have it. Here is the real problem, Ron has shrunk massively the amount of floor space for empty space, in doing so he must make more profit of less sq footage, he claims he is doing this. Ask yourself how, maybe by selling cheaper to make clothing than before, slap some celebrity name on the label, add a huge MSRP, adjust the price to pay off the name on the label, and clear a much higher sweeter profit than before and may you think “what a deal”? One reason a lot of those in house brands had to go. I mean when you claim $125-150 more profit on those new min stores, where is this money moving from? Answer, your wallet. I think the old JCP generated something like $125-135 per sq foot, Ron claims a lot, lot, more on his new mini shops, look at JCP’s open space, lack of merchandise, aka less merchandise on the squ foot, the Gap pulls in $300 per sq foot on sales in their “mini small space” shop, you tell me how he is doing this? Walmart product at a Nordstorm price?The real problem JCP is no bargin, their wares is of less “value” in terms are what you are getting. Most women, trust me, know prices so this ain’t working. Ron’s target is the valley girl spending daddies money, airhead, or that late 20ish, wishing they were 18.
Fresh and Chic? LOL, yet Ronnie claims he wants his base customers back. Ronnie boasted that “JCP isn’t for old ladies anymore”, no, no, it isn’t, neatly ignoring it isn’t for any adult over 30, 2 kids, wife, a house the bank owns for 30 years, trying to save for retirement, a vaction, soccer practices, aka heartland mid America, for adults where reality has set in.
It is for fad driving, people who have to read a magazine to be told how to dress, you know, just like your mommy used to.
Thank you, no. Gone to Macy’s and Kolh’s, JCPenny is gone, replaced with JCP aka Ronnie’s hype machine.
The odd think, on the stand during that trial about Martha Stewart he says JCP was doing fine when he took the job. Google that JCP, Macy’s trial. You will see what old Fair and Square Ron and Martha Stewart are both made off, their mothers must be proud.
@Amanda, Any time… you’ve got my e-mail.
@cr, You should know by now that Chris doesn’t live in our world.
Whoops… got a little “@”-happy. Maybe one day I’ll pull a “Prince” and change my name to just “@”.
Spiny.
I don’t fault you for your ill manners and backwoods persona. Love ya man!!.
Joe Fresh, “The line is available at over 300 Canadian supermarkets and superstores, in addition to a number of stand-alone locations”. A design to compete, under sale Walmart who is moving into Canada.”
http://www.canada.com/story_print.html…
Basically Joe Fresh is an in-house brand for a Canadian Walmart like store.
Ron is amazing isn’t he, JCP is just a hype machine. You can not use cell phone, tablet, computer dazzle to sell cheaply made clothing in bright light.
Hmm, not sure what happen to the link
Try
http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=e8649e7b-d0b5-43c7-a86c-061ed3638fb9&sponsor=
or
http://tinyurl.com/aw5zz4g
Or search for “Wal-Mart pits its George vs. Joe Fresh”
I know it’s a common post, so as an investor I thought I would let people know – St. John’s Bay is coming back to stores in April, as noted by CFO Ken Hannah at a recent investor event; hope that’s good news for some people!
Joe FRESH, Chris, Joe FRESH. Someone who works for JCPenney’s corporate office would know that. Oh… and they’re based in Plano, TX. That’s one hell of a commute there, buddy.
Used to buy St John’s Bay, we will not be back, I don’t like the way JCP does business, read up on the JCP Macy’s trial and the CEO remarks, the bonds trial has now been schedule too, here is more insight to JCP, http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/05/09/fair-and-square-jc-penney-sued-for-40-million-by-vendor-for-stealing-design-the-risks-of-an-ethical-brand/
That queue-less roaming checkout isn’t going to work, having one person, multitask, checkout person, restocker, problem/customer service spread out over 3-4 departments is worst then any single line, multi cashier queue line. That experience in the long haul is going to piss off regular customers it is one thing to have thn in an Apple store where one item may ring up for $1,000, but not for a retail store where the purchases are lower ticket items.
JCP is mostly skinny ware, gaudy, and my take is bring back an old brand is just temporary, to fund the transformation of the rest of the store and then Ron will dump these come back brands. They don’t fit his visions.
As for investing, you need to dump JCP, it is clear how that Macy’s trial is going to go, expect a huge drop, maybe single digit, the bond lawsuit is another major problem. If Ron loses that he will be out the door, but it is too late. The other problem is given the way Ron does business you would have to worry about some other major issue showing up in court. jCP image has been so damage its
stocks should be untouchable
Sorry about the typing, on a mobile small screen device, lost my connection.
Chris, I KNEW you were a company shill. At least you finally admitted it. What I’ll tell you is that you better freshen your resume, because the Canadian ‘Joe Fresh’ is going to do exactly Jack Schmidt in terms of bringing back the quality, the customer service, the discounted pricing for medium quality merchandise.
All it will do is try to undercut WalMart & Target in selling cheap tank tops & t-shirts. it will fail in doing so. I’m serious, you better be looking around as fast as you can. JC Penney WILL go under.
Was a customer for many years.Do NOT like the changes to their store and their catalog.
I like the changes and pricing structure. Change can be good for people. The only negative change I see is that the clothing seems more suited for very thin people,which I no longer am. I love the brightness of the stores and the departments. Keep up the good work.
JCP needs to buy US.
CR, seriously… take whatever Chris says with a grain of salt… next he’ll be claiming he has decided to buy Ivy Market himself and open an upscale boutique that only sells salad forks. I try to educate, yet I’m ignored.
It’s sad what the new CEO has done to J.C. Penney. I could always go in there and buy something……yes…..always!! Now, it is geared for the very young, the very skinny and a very sparse inventory in all departments. Why in the world would they ruin a good thing??????
Spiny.
Gotta love you old backwoods spiny boy. Stop buy Joe Fresh and I give you the shirt off my back. Looks like you could use a job as well. Stop on by!!!!!!!
Ever heard of the concord Spiny? Kinda doubt it.
I have to say Joe Fresh is a really great brand, out of Canada, and made a strong debut with free-standing stores in NY and other cities last year. I was shocked and subsequently curious…is JCP going to bring in other new partner brands that aren’t available anywhere else?! That’s pretty cool.
Oh and folks – Joe Fresh is NOT an in-store brand. It is a stand alone brand much like GAP, Club Monoco, Zara and H&M. Where you are getting your news is confusing. Go to Manhattan, stand on 5th Avenue at 43rd Street and you’ll see their large 2-story free-standing store.
Love Burgs, so how long have you worked as a sales clerk for JCP? Do you think you’ll try to make this a career, instead of attending college? You might check into some BusAdmin classes at either NRCC or VWCC. I think they would be beneficial.
I really doubt you understand this, but ‘Joe Fresh’ is famous in Canada for being a clothing line sold in grocery stores/supermarkets. So, we should look to the equivalent of a clothing line from CVS or Walgreens as our apparel of choice? Hmm… and folks laughed when I labeled you as clearly a JCP sales clerk.
Hate me if you must, but I’ll buy my milk from the grocery store, and my cheap t-shirts from the clothing store. Joe Fresh hasn’t captured me…
Love Burgs, I just came across some great looking t-shirts at Circle K, for only $9 each. Do you think this might be the next line of clothing that JCP tries to pawn onto the consumer as ‘quality merchandise at an affordable cost’?
Seriously, Chris? I could only hope you’re joking, but I know that’s not likely. The Concorde (yes, there’s an ‘e’ at the end) flew mostly transatlantic flights, and the fleet (yes, there was more than one) was finally retired in 2003 after a horrible crash killed over 100 people in 2000.
Oh, and I do have a job… one you would desperately love to have.
LOL @cr… Circle K, where did you find one of those? Have you been flying on Concorde with Chris?
H&M puts it’s name on everything it sells. – Zara I don’t recall off top of my head.
But on news about H&M – That the rumors that they will have an online store by Summer.
I have made my way back to JCP lately. I find their improvements awesome. I love their Joe Fresh line which I can’t wait to see in person! I also love the JCP label for women. It’s a fairly priced (especially when bought on clearance) decent up to date line of fashionable clothes. There are certain stores to shop in for certain things; JCP included. You cannot expect to find everything and anything and be completely satisfied at ONE store alone. Let’s be real here, folks and give credit where credit is due.
Spiny
I doubt you have a type of job that I would want and if you do you must be cheap when it comes to shopping.
I’m a one-stop shopper–I hate to shop, hate to try on clothes, but when I do, I want a knowledgeable clerk to be on hand to bring me a different size or a different style; that is, to take care of me. Belk may be a biat shoddy, but their clerks care, and there seem to be enough of them (so far).
To Traci E’s comment, I would like to say that when you’re a DEPARTMENT store, you’re supposed to have DEPARTMENTS! For all the people you want to reach as customers! I don’t see that at JCP anymore. Ass has been said, it’s great if you’re a rich teenager shooping there. Not so good if you’re a 65-year-old on a budget. And something else–Penney’s has really high interest rates on its credit card–29.99%. When you compound that over the time it takes to pay it off, the prices reach a ridiculous high. Belk charges 24.49, still very high, but not so usorious as JCP.
Amanda – I wish we could follow your feeds on here so when you post something new it would send us an email? Does Roanoke.com offer that feature yet? Love your work!
@Jen: Thanks for your nice words. There isn’t a feature on Roanoke.com that will email you alerts when I post to the blog. However, you could set up a RSS feed that would alert you. I have been using Google Reader, but Google just announced that they are retiring that service in July. Does anyone else use a RSS feed other than Google Reader that they like?
Also, if it helps, I usually post to the blog on Sunday (with the Retail Roundup column), Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Very disappointed with JCP. Will not be going there anymore. They have screwed over so many dedicated employee’s. Maybe they should take a look at their “New” CEO and get rid of him.
Amanda, after freaking out over the news that Google was canning Reader, I did some poking around and have found Feedly to be a good replacement. They can import all your Google Reader feeds using your Google login and password, and have said they’ve been preparing for this for a while and are setting up a dedicated system that will make the disappearance of Reader a mere blip. The interface takes some getting used to, especially on my iPod Touch (I tend to switch between Feedly and Newsify there), but I’m quickly growing to like it.
They’ve got a blog where lately they’ve been reporting how they’re dealing with the huge influx of new users (remarkably well, I have to say). Here was their post the night the news was announced: http://blog.feedly.com/2013/03/14/google-reader/
@Laura: Thanks for the info on Feedly. I will have to check it out since I rely on Google Reader right now.
while changes at jcp are likely interesting to some, I for one am tired of reading about jcp every week. I think your readers might appreciate some information on some of our local retail stores. Chck out urban gypsy, vivendi, , la de da,
I think the real issue here for ‘the downfall of J C Penney’s has been overlooked. If memory serves me correctly, the decline in sales and stocks began shortly after they chose Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. Then, in June of last year, their a featured 2 dads. Upon learning of their decision tosupport the homosexual agenda, I informed my friends, hetrosexual I might ad, of their decision and have not shopped there since. Their stance was bold, as was my decision not to shop there any longer. It is so sad since Mr. Penney was a Christian and started his store for the common workingman and his family.Since the Store Front has been reporting on this issue, results of the store’s new ads, clothibg, or store set up, I haven’t read one report concening J C Penneys decision to support the gaycommunity.I believe the
Real reason is that most of America still believes in traditional marriage and is putting their money where their beliefs lie.
Sorry for mispelled words. Please correct for me
Lorrie, your butchering of the language is the least of your post’s problems.
dang, thought I was reading a Dan Casey blog……..
I suppose Cover Girl and American Express must be running out of customers too, eh Lorrie?
I wish we could have the old JCP back! We do not need any more mall boutique stores. The little mall stores come and go and mainly target teens with limited money. If The new CEO wonders or cares why they are taking a loss he should ask a woman like myself (40′s) what to stock the shelves with. He is a man that has no idea what the majority of shoppers want. I buy clothes in teen department, but I need professional attire for work. I want the bedding department back with unique things like the crochet pillow shams and bed skirts. I want the housewares department back with a huge selection, not bare shelves. I want the kids shoes back with more than two selections in my daughters size. I want to dress my six year old like a child and not a teen! We used to go school shopping at JCP, but could find nothing this year! I don’t want to buy your bedding or dishes because your shelves are bare, and this scares me because if you close down I will not be able to get replacements. I don’t care to buy makeup at penny’s, I only buy high end cosmetics which I get
at Macy’s, or online. I want the catalogue department back with real catalogues to look through at home. I miss the Christmas ones, and I don’t even want to mention how much money I would spend on all the things my kid’s circled. I used to buy all if my workout, exercise close at JCP, but now they only offer one pair of Nike bike/exercise shorts in women’s clothing……I like variety, but JCP does not offer that on their bare shelves anymore. I used to depend on JCP for all of my shopping needs, but I will not be returning because it’s too depressing! For buyers that miss the clothes lines that JCP used to carry check online, I have been able to find some of them.
Lorrie,
I must comment on your post…..JCP poor sales has nothing to do with Ellen, and all to do with the CEO. Why has he not been fired! If I was the CEO I would resign and admit that I was wrong. There is nothing shameful with making a mistake, but when you keep making it over and over……he needs to find a job more suitable for himself, and JCP CEO is not a good fit for him!
JC Penny is not a good anchor store any more. It has nothing to do with the gay community or gay spokes people like Ellen. Ellen is extremely successful, so JC Penny needs her. She does not need JC Penny. Some of the best clothing designers who design our clothes are gay. JC Penny is going downhill and has been for years. They are trying their hand with the gay trend community to save them. The bottom line is JC Penny does not offer their customers the variety they once offered in the past. It’s JC Penny poor choice of items. The world of fashion is built and designed by the gay community. Here is just a short list of names, which line the streets or 5th avenue and our shopping malls as well as dominate the fashion world. This is only a very short list of the most influential and openly gay designers: Kevyn Aucoin, Way Brandy, John Barlett, Mr Blackwell, Raymond Dragon, Perry Ellis, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Halston, David LaChapelle, Bob Mackie, Law Mizrahi, Theirry Mugler, Todd oldham, Willi Smith, Andre Leon Talley, Giannin Versace, Bruce Weber, Alexander McQueen,Calvin Klein, Christian Dior,Cristóbal Balenciaga,Domenico Dolce,Giancarlo Giammetti,Giorgio Armani,Norman Hartnell,Rudi Gernreich,Stefano Gabbana,Valentino Garavani,Yves Saint Laurent,Calvin Klein Christian Dior
So I’ve always been a JCP shopper. The stores were old, very cluttered, outdated and with endless racks of clothes. Employees not helpful at all, too busy stocking shelves or full filling a mission.
CEO, Ron Johnson arrived and with change the stores were cleaned up, I could see the value in my money, no more forgetting coupons at home and paying a marked up full-price. I no longer had to hunt for the JF or other favorite brands. Employees were no longer just stocking shelves, full-filling a mission but became helpful, interacted with me, made me feel appreciated. Shoes, no longer hunted in the entire shoe dept for me shoe, i just had to ask for my size shoe and they got it for me. If I purchased, they were right there to check me out, no more long lines and cash wraps. Once they didn’t have the size i wanted but the associate quickly was able to tell me they were available at another nearby jcp or that if i didn’t mind waiting for 2-3 hours a truck would be arriving with fresh inventory.
So everyone complaining about the change(s) – i don’t see it. Pricing was very clear and clarification was given when I asked.
So agreed Tim. The people complaining on this blog have not been to Penny’s and would rather shop at Big Lots! Let em!!
Tim, the employees were not stocking shelves because Johnson fired them. There was no merchandise to stock! Bare shelves with hardly any selection. I went to buy curtains and there was only one package for each design! Most people need at least two! I asked a sales person for help because what I wanted was on sale. I was informed that I would need to order online. When I checked online that evening they were available with limited stock and not on sale like in the store. I decided not to pay full price and shipping, so JCP lost my sale! I also tried to buy shoes for my daughter and they only had one choice in her size, and one of them was the display and scratched up….so I passed again. They used to have a huge selection of kids shoes…..but only one choice in size 11 toddler, what a joke! I wear a size 2 and they had no petite clothes in this store……everything was huge and neon! Most people know that plus size people seldom wear neon……give me a break Mr. Johnson! I just heard today that you were fired, but I have a feeling you have done irreversable damage to this business. I hope JCP will make some smart decisions and get back to how it used to be. I also wish Mr. Johnson the best of luck……may he find a position more suitable for himself…..Just because he was not a good fit with JCP, doesn’t mean he’s not brilliant and most of all human.
I wonder who their clothes buyer is. It is hard to find anything that is not designed for a teen ager. Some of us older women don’t want blouses and dresses cut so low your boobs hang out. Dresses are the same way, with big flowers or wild prints. Please get some clothes that are designed for us older people, who still want to look good, but not like a wanna be teenager.