JCPenney Co.

“Now Trending” is an exclusive online series to chainstoreage.com, featuring trending topics that impact the retail real estate landscape.

When Walmart announced in January that it planned to close 269 stores this year (154 locations in the U.S.), there was a good deal of chatter out there comparing the planned closures to a Macy’s announcement just over a week earlier revealing the upcoming closure of 40 stores and a restructuring plan that would eliminate more than 4,500 jobs.

JCPenney is pursuing a possible sale and partial leaseback of its headquarters building in Plano, Texas, as part of an ongoing effort to reduce debt and manage expenses.

The company announced Friday that a combination of favorable market conditions and a surplus of available square footage within the building make this an attractive real estate opportunity.

J.C. Penney is pursuing a possible sale and partial leaseback of its headquarters building in Plano, Texas, as part of an ongoing effort to reduce debt and manage expenses.

The company announced Friday that a combination of favorable market conditions and a surplus of available square footage within the building make this an attractive real estate opportunity.

Brad Maiorino, Target senior VP and chief information security officer, is the newest member of the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC) board of directors.

R-CISC is an organization of more than 50 members representing retail and other consumer-facing companies which provides a network to communicate about cyberthreats and vulnerabilities, and to share best practices in data protection and breach mitigation.

Photo: Marvin Ellison, CEO, J.C. Penney

As more millennials enter the real estate market and a rising number of homeowners invest in updating their homes, J.C. Penney is re-entering the appliance business.

The retailer announced that it will introduce a leading assortment of major appliances in 22 pilot stores beginning Feb. 1. Backed by customer research that reinforces the company’s decision to enter the appliance market, the pilot is one of several strategic initiatives aimed at improving its home department sales productivity, the company said.

J.C. Penney Company appointed Joe McFarland as executive VP of stores, effective immediately, succeeding Tony Bartlett.

McFarland, similar to J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison, is a Home Depot veteran. He worked at the home improvement giant for over 20 years, most recently as president of its Northern and Western Divisions, where he was responsible for the sales and operations of up to 800 stores in 24 states. McFarland began his career at the chain as a sales associate.