J.C. Penney Launches Trendy Apparel Line

Plano, Texas J.C. Penney announced Tuesday it would launch a trendy line of women’s sportswear created by Allen B. Schwartz, whose A.B.S. line is sold at upscale department stores such as Bloomingdale's.

The new line, called ALLEN B., will be priced moderately by high-end department store standards but will be on the upper end of J.C. Penney’s traditional merchandising. In related news, J.C. Penney announced last week that a clothing line by fashion designer Charlotte Ronson will also debut in the spring of 2009.