J. C. Penney Company

Over a three-year span, Kohl’s’ Corporation, has seen a drop in their net income. The last two years Kohl’s decline was minimal, but nonetheless disappointing when both Nordstrom and Macy’s reported an increase in earnings. ,2,3

Penneys/Primark is currently standing in a very precarious situation, its strength and resilience has been proven over 50 long years of trading and its roots are deeply embedded in European fashion. This being said however it has just ventured into the American fashion market, a turbulent industry for even the most experienced of companies. The next five years will be of integral importance to the business and the overall market development in the US will play a fundamental role in how Primark continues as a corporate entity attempting to establish itself in a competitive industry.

Ron Johnson, new CEO of JC Penney has embarked on a bold and aggressive strategy to resuscitate the retail titan by creating a unique shopping experience for a wide variety of customers that clearly differentiates Penney’s from their competitors (Tuttle, 2013). Harkening back to his days at Apple, he’s determined to reinvent the retail shopping experience for department store customers similar to the way he captivated technology enthusiasts with how he designed Apple stores (Tuttle, 2013). The first sacred retail platitude he plans on slaying is, reserving the core of the store for high margin products purchased on impulse (Kinicki & Williams, 2013). Therefore, Mr. Johnson intends to turn this area into a Town Square like area that alternates

Does Zappos effectively focus on stakeholder happiness, and how does this approach affect the ethical culture?

After making several calculations on both Kohl’s and JCPenny’s finical statements it is clear that Kohl’s is in a better financial position. Starting with over an 8-point gap between Kohl’s 3.50 net profit margin, to JCPenny’s -4.06 net profit margin. This proves that Kohl’s is more profitable making 3.50 dollars of income for every item sold, on average. Kohl’s is the better company to invest in but JCPenney is slowly pulling themselves out of a financial crisis. According to Investopedia, “Kohls is opening a new outlet store it calls Off-Aisles… if this concept works, which it likely will, considering consumer conditions, look for Kohl’s to ramp it up, big time.“ With the promising look of Kohl’s future of new outlet stores and on many other calculations I have indicated that Kohl’s has proved be more profitable, solvent and liquid than JCPenney.

In the article titled “J.C. Penney Is Changing Its Competitive Strategy” (Kinicki & Williams, 2013), Ron Johnson; who is the newly appointed chief executive officer for J. C. Penney, is astonished to find that most of the consumer sales that are rung up throughout the store is due mostly in part to the company offering their merchandise at a fifty percent or more discount to customers, and the customers are only purchasing these discounted items roughly four times a year on average.

Based on Michael Porter’s discussion of the characteristics of an effective strategy, J.C. Penney has an effective strategy for growth. However, there are areas in the growth and development plan that should be reconsidered. The first characteristic of Porter 's plan is the cost-leadership strategy. The basis of this format is to keep the cost below those in the competitive market. J.C. Penney is adapting to this change by offering twice a month sales as well as keeping merchandise at least forty percent below retail value in efforts to gain back their customers. This is a dangerous change according to chief executive Ron Johnson. Last year alone J.C. Penny had over five hundred and ninety sales alone. However this strategy did not attract

The first Costco opened in 1983. It was founded by James Sinegal and Jeffery Bortman. Around that same time Sol Price and his brother Robert started a company called Price Club that served small businesses in San Diego, California. In 1993, the two merged and since then have become the second largest wholesale retailer in the world. The current CEO is Craig Jelinek. Jelinek joined the Costco team in 1984 and has worked in various positions ultimately ending up as the CEO in 2010. Along with CFO, Richard A. Galanti, Jelinek is also backed by 12 Independent Directors and together they make all business decisions. Costco produces sales in the wholesale membership market and primarily competes with Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, and Target. Costco focuses on a structure of low prices with high sales volume. Its members are primarily small businesses and families who buy in bulk. Since inception, Costco has produced goods from its in house manufacturer, Kirkland Signature. Costco doesn’t buy from lots of different brands rather relies on Kirkland Signiture to make equal or better products for a cheaper price. With all the sales you get at Costco, purchasing these goods at a cheaper cost actually comes at a price. Costco only sells to its members and membership fees range anywhere from US $55 to US $110. With over 70 Million Members it is has the most members on any wholesale corporation.

Macy’s, a small dry goods store was opened in New York City in 1858 by Rowland H. Macy where Macy’s was initially opened as ‘R.H. Macy & Co.’ before it became one of the world’s largest retailers. The famous red star symbol was used as their company logo as Rowland H. Macy’s symbol of success during his sailor days. By 1877, R.H. Macy & Co. had become fully developed department store after a great success in sales since its’ opening store in 1858. Macy’s was also known for its several first changes and practices in the retail industry such as the one-price system which the same items are sold at the same price and Macy’s was also the first retailer to hold a New York City liquor license. In November 1902, Macy’s moved uptown to its present

One of the concepts that set American Apparel apart from other brands is that all of the

Thorntons Chocolate PLC, established by Joseph William Thornton in 1911, stands as one of the most eminent and prestigious chocolate brands in the world. It is the largest manufacturer and retailer in the UK chocolate industry. Due to its strategic planning and the high quality of its products, the company has achieved a turnover of roughly £170 million and a high reputation in the manufacturing industry. (Jennings 2004) By following a strategy of in-house production and aiming to provide fresh products, Thorntons owns more than 400 shops and franchises around the world.

The brand with the longest history belongs to Adidas though. Starting off in 1924 Adi Dassler decided he was going to create top tier equipment for atheltes. Quickly his products caught on and were used in the Olympics by Jesse Owens in 1936. Owens was a US runner who won four gold medals at the Berlin Olmypics. His performance introduced the US people to Adidas. Previously Adi Dassler’s equipment was known mostly in Germany. After a brief hiatus Dassler came back in 1949 and put together a small company. This company created a new type of football (soccer) boot that revolutionized the game. “Who would have thought that screw-in-studs on lightweight football boots would help write history? When the German national football team faced the unbeatable

Caterpillar Inc. is a Multi National corporation headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, United states. The company was formed in 1925 by Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best as a result of the merger of the C.L. Best Gas Tractor Company and the Holt Caterpillar Company as 'Caterpillar tractor company'. In 1986 the company restructured itself as Delaware corporation under the current name Caterpillar Inc. The company operates through three main business segments which are Construction Industry, Resource Industry, and Energy & Transportation. The company is also involved in Financial & Logistics services.

The purpose of Chapter 3 is to provide information about Macy’s current strategies, finances, and operations. Also, this section will evaluate the performance of the company at a functional and corporate level through the analysis of financial data. It will review the Macy’s competitive strategies toward customers with the goal of being more proactive at the time of attracting them; and in this way, continue competing in the market. The analysis of these strategies constitutes an indispensable tool to explore and find a positive development for the Company in future years. Consequently, this chapter looks for a review of the mission and vision of the company with the aim of continuing being a top leader in the retail industry.

Jakks Pacific, Inc. Was established in 1995 and deals with designing,producing and marketing toys and other leisure products. This company under different brands also develop and market writing instruments for children and adults.The company has different popular brands like funnoodle, max tow, moose mountain etc. They sell through their inhouse sales dept and also through retail stores, groceries, department stores etc. They are continuosly working towards their mission statement that is to have children engaged in creative play withh products that encourage learning, interaction and fun. They dream to become a billion dollar company and through strategic acquisition, product line modification and licensing and agreements, they are reaching a wide audience with something for everybody. Their robust distribution network ensures their presence within the reach of their target consumer base.