Marketing Tactics

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company has launched a new exclusive concept, Modern Bride, in its stores and online.

The concept, a collaboration with Conde Nast, is designed to cater to today's bridal customer. Located in the rear of the fine jewelry department to provide an intimate customer experience, the Modern Bride in-store shops are detailed with their signage, distinctive fixtures, in-case lighting, displays and packaging, along with specially trained associates.

New York City -- January saw strong growth across most retail categories, continuing the positive performance from fourth quarter 2010, albeit at a slightly slower pace, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a report on national retail and services sales that is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network and survey-based estimates for other payment forms, such as cash and check.

PLANO, Texas -- JCPenney announced the arrival of its exclusive Modern Bride concept in its bridal fine jewelry departments in stores and on jcp.com and modernbride.com. The Modern Bride concept is the result of a collaboration with Conde Nast, publisher of Modern Bride magazine.

ATLANTA -- Home Depot will make a bigger push for the female shopper this spring, largely through the introduction of coordinating Martha Stewart merchandise, company merchant Gordon Erickson told the New York Times in a Jan. 28 interview.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.  -- Sears announced that it has launched Beverly Drive, a new plus-size women's fashion line. Making its debut this month, the line will be available at Sears stores nationwide, as well as online at www.Sears.com.

NAPERVILLE, Ill.  — OfficeMax announced the launch of DiVOGA desk products and accessories featuring the limited edition Catherine collection. According to the company, the line features a contemporary take on the traditional brocade patterns dating back to eighteenth century Europe. 

DiVOGA Catherine is available for purchase at OfficeMax stores nationwide and other select retail partners of OfficeMax starting February 2011.

Walmart broke new ground in its media relations efforts this week when EVP Leslie Dach appeared on Comedy Central’s "The Colbert Report." This appearance on Comedy Central was a potentially high risk move as knows anyone who has ever watched host Stephen Colbert interview guest or laughed as correspondents on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart are able to make interview subjects look foolish without them realizing it. Dach is too sophisticated and articulate to allow that to happen and the purpose of his visit was to elaborate on the company’s healthy food initiative.

Walmart SVP brand marketing Tony Rogers was recently added to the program at the Symphony IRI Group’s annual summit to be held this year in Miami on March 28 to 30. Rogers will join Univision Communications EVP corporate research, Elizabeth Ellers, for a presentation titled, “Making Hispanics Your Competitive Advantage at Retail.”

From a licensed product sales standpoint it doesn’t get much better than having the Pittsburgh Steelers and Greenbay Packers squaring off this Sunday in Super Bowl XLV. Both teams are storied franchises, and although they are from relatively small markets, enjoy a national following, which means plenty of shoppers have been out looking to acquire fresh gear for the big game and will be looking to do so in the weeks following the game.

Slowly but surely the headwinds Walmart has faced for years in its domestic expansion efforts have begun to diminish to the point where major victories are now being scored. Two examples stood out this week on opposite sides of the country. The highest profile of these is the situation in New York where it may not seem like Walmart won a victory this week, but it did. Walmart’s entry into the city has been the subject of considerable and heated debate for at least five years, but the situation has come to head in recent months.