The new Michael Strahan menswear line for J.C. Penney signals the chain’s recommitment to its core, modest-income shopper.
So said Marvin Ellison, two months into his tenure as CEO of the retailer during an event last week to launch Collection by Michael Strahan from the Super Bowl Champion/”LIVE with Kelly and Michael” co-host.
J.C. Penney is in the midst of a much-watched turnaround, reversing steep sales declines and trimming net losses following the Ron Johnson era. The ousted CEO from Apple AAPL -0.93% eliminated sale events and brought in higher-end merchandise that belied Penney’s Middle American roots, sending shoppers through the exit door as sales plummeted.
J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison and Michael Strahan at the launch party for the retailer’s exclusive Collection by Michael Strahan menswear line. (Getty)
But Ellison made it clear those days are behind it. J.C. Penney won’t be chasing shoppers “who aren’t interested in us,” he told Forbes at the event. “We’re not overreaching.” These days, the retailer has its eye squarely fixed on its core consumers with a household income between $50,000 and $80,000, he said.
Strahan approached Penney about partnering on a menswear line that the “modern everyman can afford,” Ellison said.
“I’ve never been a faddish guy,” Strahan told Forbes. The goal was to create a quality line that feels “classic, clean and confident.” What’s the point of creating a compelling line “that’s not in [the customers’] price point?” he said.
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Models pose wearing the Michael Strahan menswear collection for J.C. Penney.
The exclusive collection of tailored clothing, dress shirts, neckwear and accessories is priced under $200. It fills a void in Penney’s men’s apparel assortment for classic looks that won’t go out of style in five years, Strahan said.
J.C. Penney’s healthy menswear sales reflect its overall apparel revival — a business that’s been sluggish at its department store brethren, Ellison noted.
It also reflects the re-expansion the retailer’s signature, value-oriented house brands, like St. John’s Bay and Arizona, several of which were eliminated by Johnson and replaced by trendier fare, such as Joe Fresh fast-fashion and furniture from sir Terence Conran.
The Strahan launch coincides with a new merchandising regime at J.C. Penney under John Tighe, who replaced Liz Sweeney this month as the retailer’s top merchant. For more than a year, Sweeney has been grooming Tighe, who was senior general merchandise manager for men’s, children’s, footwear, handbags and intimate apparel, to oversee all product at the chain, Tighe told Forbes.
Topping Tighe’s agenda in his new role is growing Penney’s private brands; fixing the home business by rebuilding its bedding and bath mix; and “expanding our assortment online,” in part by enhancing its seamless shopping options, such as buy online and ship from store, and same-day merchandise pickup for online orders, he said.
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