JCPenney Co.

By Greg Caster, managing director, Accenture Retail

Most incoming CEO’s put together a ‘100-day plan’ as they embark on the new role. In the case of Mr. Ullman, it is his second 100-day plan at J.C. Penney. But the world and company is very different from December 2004 when he wrote his first plan, and this one will be written in the knowledge that he is the interim CEO for a company in crisis.

When The Mall at Bay Plaza opens to the public in 2014, adjacent to the highly successful outdoor Bay Plaza Shopping Center, it will be heralded as the first enclosed fashion mall in the New York City area in nearly 40 years.

That’s big news. Particularly at a time when new development has taken a back seat to redevelopment of existing assets.

With the breathtaking Twin Peaks of the Colorado Rockies as backdrop, a new project underway in Longmont, Colo., is leveraging both the views and community demand to create a “top drawer outdoor village experience,” said Allen Ginsborg, managing director and principal of NewMark Merrill Mountain States, based in Fort Collins, Colo.

Flipping the coin
Last August in this space, I discussed the troubling sales trends and tumbling earnings from iconic retailer J.C. Penney, mentioning that the growing pains associated with implementing CEO Ron Johnson’s ambitious brand overhaul might have been a case of “too much too soon.” Given that Ron Johnson is now ex-CEO, it’s clear that those growing pains were too much to overcome.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. on Wednesday unveiled an advertisement on Facebook that asks customers to return to its stores. The ad will air Wednesday and Thursday on national television, as well as on Penney’s social media platforms.
   

Hudson, Ohio — Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has hired former Disney and J.C. Penney’s executive Kris Arabia as VP of product development. Arabia will report to senior VP and chief marketing and merchandising officer Riddianne Kline.
 

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. can continue to sell a line of Martha Stewart home goods it introduced last week under "JCP Everyday" brand pending the outcome of a trial with Macy's, a New York appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
 
The court denied Macy's request for a preliminary injunction blocking sale of the goods while a court battle continues over rights to the products.  
   

Chicago -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced the addition of Larry Kilduff, Claire Bitautas and Anne Imming to its retail team.

Kilduff will serve as a VP and the retail management lead in the Midwest. Bitautas and Imming will serve as VPs on the brokerage team focusing on the downtown and suburban Chicago market. In their new roles they will partner with Midwest retail market lead Mark Hunter.