JC Penney to revive its catalogs

JC Penney is reportedly bringing back its print catalog five years after
the department store operator dumped it to focus more on online sales.

According to Wall Street Journal, JC Penney is bringing back its hefty
print catalog featuring its housewares after finding out that many of its
online shoppers were spurred by the catalog.

JC Penney will start sending a new 120-page catalog book, which will feature
items from its department store, to select customers in March, the report
said.

Interestingly, the decision to bring back the catalog was made by Chief
Executive Myron Ullman, who actually in the first place decided to
discontinue the publication of catalogs in 2010.

According to industry experts, although, majority of the shopping is done
online, the catalogs still provide the much-needed motivation for shoppers.
Most retailers had stopped sending catalogs considering it to be redundant
in the age of internet, however lately, many have discovered a link between
online sales and catalogs.

JC Penney had launched its catalog business in 1963. When Sears closed its
catalog business in 1993, JC Penney became the largest catalog retailer in
the US. However, the company stopped the publishing of “Big Books” in 2009
and discontinued the distribution of 70 smaller catalogs in 2010.

The struggling retailer has been restructuring itself under Mike Ullman.
The department store chain has rebuilt and reestablished the right
merchandise assortment, including private and national brands, and has been
ramping up its online presence. (dpa-AFX)