DDi - November/December 2009 - (Page 38)

38 | The era of value Photos: Courtesy of JCPenney JCPenney stirs up the Manhattan retail scene with a stylish underground ﬂagship store By Jessie Bove, Managing Editor Top: JCPenney’s New York City ﬂagship boasts modern ﬁnishes and a stylish vibe. Bottom: JCPenney’s ﬁrst Manhattan store is located in the renovated Manhattan Mall. espite its more than 1,100 units coast-tocoast, Plano, Texas-based department store chain J.C. Penney Co. Inc. had never had a store on the island of Manhattan. That is, until this past summer, when Penney’s opened a two-level, 153,000-sq.-ft. store in the newly renovated Manhattan Mall. “It took more than a hundred years for JCPenney to get to Manhattan, and now more than ever, the time is right,” says Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III, chairman and CEO of the company. Stirring up the New York retail scene, Penney’s new store introduced a value proposition to time-crunched Manhattanites. “We really ﬁll a niche in the Manhattan marketplace, offering quality and stepped-up style at affordable prices,” says John Wise, vice president and director of store planning and design for JCPenney. “It’s going to take away business from some other folks, but that’s what you’re there for—competition.” From a design aspect, the company wanted to design a ﬂagship-level store for the JCPenney brand. “We have some nice stores, but we really don’t have one that I’d call a ﬂagship,” Wise says. “So we let every bell and whistle go off on this one to show what the brand is really supposed to be.” To create a ﬂagship experience, JCPenney’s in-house design team partnered with Dayton, Ohio-based Interbrand Design Forum. “The vision was to bring JCPenney’s ‘Everyday matters’ brand positioning to life, but in a way that appeals www.ddimagazine.com | November/December 2009 http://www.ddimagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - November/December 2009

DDi - November/December 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Quick Tips
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
State of the Retail Design Industry Survey
Channel Focus: Sportswear
Tommy Hilfiger
JCPenney
Saks Fifth Avenue
New York Retail Map
Retail Design Collective
Showroom Map
Products
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Advertisers
Calendar
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - November/December 2009