JCPenney is set to open a virtual store in New York City where customers can purchase the company’s products at interactive kiosks in a spectacular initiative the company said is its largest branding event ever.
The 15,000-square-foot JCPenney Experience virtual store at One Times Square, on the corner of 42nd and Broadway, will open March 3 to coincide with the retailer’s exclusive sponsorship of the Academy Awards telecast, airing March 5. The look of the store, a big red box, is modeled after JCPenney’s signature trademark. Once inside, shoppers will find spring collections from the company’s private labels that can be purchased from the interactive kiosks, which will feature more than 250,000 items— of the company’s merchandise.
The store marks a significant development in the history of retail and is likely to pave the way for others to open temporary interactive stores. The JCPenney store will only be open for three weeks, closing March 26, and is designed to reflect recent changes at the company.
“Shoppers will see that we are listening to what they tell us and focusing our brands and assortments to reflect their lifestyles, from trendy and modern to traditional and conservative,” said CEO Myron Ullman III, in a statement. “They will also experience first-hand the incredible power of JCP.com, the largest online department store in the world.”
A roster of events swirls around the three-weeks including a benefit for Broadway Cares; Equity Fights AIDS on March 2; a new spring ad campaign to launch during the Academy Awards (this marks the fifth year that the 104-year-old JCPenney has sponsored the broadcast), as well as print and online ads.
“Taken together, the full-scale branding campaign we are launching is designed to reinforce for our current customers JCPenney’s commitment to offering exciting styles at smart prices in an easy, convenient shopping environment and make clear to new customers that it really is ‘all inside’ at JCPenney,” Ullman said.
In a related development, JCPenney introduced a new casual apparel brand for woman this week. The brand, a.n.a., debuts this month at all JCPenney stores, the 2006 spring and summer catalog and at Jcp.com.
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