What is jcpenney competitive advantage

Watch this robot take over a fry station. Matt Damon: Clean water access frees up time for school. Facebook changes its company name to Meta amid controversies. Barbara Corcoran: The housing boom is not a bubble. Smart Take. Penney finds itself weighed down by years of errors, failed CEOs and muddled attempts to establish a clear identity with shoppers. Retail prowess. Read More. Penney closed stores last year is closing eight more this year. It has more than left, but hundreds are in troubled malls, with leases that prevent Penney from escaping.

The company's downfall does not fit cleanly into the death-by-Amazon story of many retailers in recent years. Instead, Penney's wounds are largely self-inflicted. Its more flexible rivals have adjusted their businesses to remain relevant. Kohl's and Nordstrom have reinvented themselves with fresh brands and hipper stores. Discount retailers, such as TJX and Ross, have built loyal bases of value-focused shoppers. But Penney has lost both customers and the faith of Wall Street. Analysts say the company lacks the cash and focused strategy to compete against big box sellers Target and Walmart, which are battling for every inch in stores, and Amazon, which is gobbling up digital sales.

Penney is plagued by a "lack of understanding about what it is, what it stands for, and who it wants to serve," said Neil Saunders, an analyst at GlobalData Retail. Penney's defining mistake. It lost shoppers to cheaper sellers during the recession and struggled to bring them back as the economy began to rebound.

How Costco thrives in the Amazon era. Ackman and real estate investment firm Vornado bought up a chunk of Penney, forced Ullman out and installed a new leadership team.

The recession is putting even more pressure on CIOs … Read more ». Bill Bittner. There is a subtle undertone in the JCP discussion. They seem to have acknowledged that a linked set of IT solutions developed internally or tightly integrated by the internal IT department is better than buying independent solutions. They seem to have decided that their ability to design applications that fit their specific business model can be more beneficial than a generic solution they might buy off the shelf.

This is a key decision when it comes to technology and reflects on the same choice made by other large retailers. Technology offers the opportunity to expand assortments, reach consumers where … Read more ». Ted Hurlbut. Mark Burr. Not building new stores? I wonder how that happened? The store stood alone. The store was the nicest and most well merchandised JCP I had seen in ages.

Yet, there was something strangely missing. There were no associates visible in any department and no place to purchase anything in any department. Service was secluded to a walled off area near two entrances and exits. Even with staff at every opening, service was beyond slow.

There was no visible evidence of any support or management at either location. The register system seemed cumbersome and difficult not only for the associate that served us, but also for both associates on either side. There was no visible evidence of any … Read more ». R Seaman. There is no question that advanced information systems must be a key strategy if, in a highly-competitive market, a retailer is to maintain or improve market share.

While Penney may be ahead of the industry in this area, you only have to walk through their stores to recognize that they still have many opportunities to capture a greater share of their market. They miss the target in so many areas. Variations between markets or stores within in a market are too often not recognized.

Local input must be a part of creating the right merchandise mix in individual markets that do not fit a prototype mix. With stores located across the country, with many climatic variations, and varying demographics there is no way the human factor can be dismissed.

It appears Penney does not seek that input. However, it was about completely going for broke and taking risks in their growth as a company. The road to a very dark, fiery place is paved with good intentions.

Even though JCPenney tried to come through with a fair pricing strategy and new logos, their efforts ended up backfiring. Seventeen months later , he was out of a job. All in all, it was a recipe for disaster.

Pay attention to the times and change your branding strategy in accordance to what people want. Furthermore, make sure you understand who you are and stick to your core values. Alyssa is a promo expert with over four years of experience in the industry.

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