Exclusive Lines Fuel the Competition

JCPenney will debut Disney children’s boutiques that will range in size from 750 to 1,100 sq. ft. in at least 520 stores next fall. JCPenney also announced a partnership with Canadian fast-fashion brand Joe Fresh that will see some 700 Joe Fresh in-store boutiques open in stores in April 2013. In September, JCPenney launched the first-ever fashion collection by Cosmopolitan magazine. The exclusive collection includes lingerie, sleepwear, footwear and handbags and is available in more than 600 JCPenney stores nationwide, as well as online. JCPenney most recently debuted its newest installment of shops for jcp, a new JCPenney-exclusive brand dedicated to fashion basics in nearly 700 stores. Liz Claiborne and IZOD shops are beginning to open as well.  These new fall shops will add to its existing portfolio of shops, which include Levi’s, The Original Arizona Jean Co., i jeans by Buffalo, MNG by Mango and Sephora. According to ChainStore Guide’s database of Department Stores, there are over 1,100 JCPenney stores in the United States. JCPenney’s goal is to launch two or three shop-in-shops per month with a goal of reaching 80 to 100 by 2015.

Macy’s, Inc. announced it signed an agreement to offer approximately 1,500 sq. ft. Toys“R”Us Express-branded departments in 24 Macy’s stores during this year’s holiday selling season. Macy’s also announced that it will open Finish Line-branded shops in more than 450 of its stores and online. The rollout process, for the athletic footwear locations that will be operated by Finish Line as leased departments, will start in spring 2013, with completion expected by fall 2014. For the remaining 225 Macy’s stores that carry footwear, Finish Line will manage the athletic footwear assortment and inventory beginning in spring 2013, without the staffing or branding provided in the leased departments. Jumping in to the game, Sears Holdings Corporation recently launched Scrubology store-within-a-store concepts in 91 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide.

We will continue to see partnerships announced and new concepts debuted as the top department stores compete for cash. These companies are hopeful exclusive lines will keep you coming back. If you want to know what’s happening at JCPenney or what Macy’s is doing next, subscribe to Chain Store Guide’s monthly update newsletter. Changes made daily to the Department Stores database and happenings in the industry are highlighted and sent to you each month.