JCPenney

With top back-to-school fashion at prices you’ll love, JCPenney is the perfect place to stock up on new clothes and supplies to start the academic year in style during tax-free shopping holidays across the country. Unlock even more value when you join the #JCPenneyRewards program, where customers get more, earn more and save more every time they shop. Is your state participating? Read more on the JCPenney Newsroom: https://lnkd.in/gAb3mdrS

July 3 is National CROWN Day, a day which commemorates the signing of the first #CROWNAct legislation in California in 2019. The CROWN Act stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” and in 2024, there are still 24 states that have no protections against hair-based discrimination.   This week, JCPenney’s Lisa Green, VP DMM over Salon and #JCPenneyBeauty, presented to the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women’s (NOBEL Women) board of directors at the invitation of the board’s president, Georgia State Senator Tonya P. Anderson, MBA, MDiv, who visited our Lithonia, GA, location earlier this year. Lisa shared an overview of our beauty assortment and supplier initiatives and reaffirmed our support for the CROWN Act, then hosted the leadership team for a tour of our Metarie, LA, store alongside world-renowned hair care instructor Alicia Bailey Watts. Our amazing store and Salon associates shared details on the variety of products and services we offer for all types of hair textures.

Lavender bath towels, seafoam bedding, linen drapes and a new tea kettle are just a few of the items that helped make Dr. Opal Lee's new house a home. Last month, JCPenney was proud to support the grandmother of #Juneteenth with home décor and essentials as she was welcomed into a brand-new house at the site of her childhood home in Fort Worth, Texas. To learn about our involvement in this amazing community effort and more ways we supported Opal's cause and Unity Unlimited, Inc. in 2024, head over to the JCPenney Newsroom to go #behindthescenes with Michelle Sing, VP of Corporate Communications and Philanthropy and President of the JCPenney Communities Foundation, Karen L. Wertz, a senior design director in the home division, and Brandi Wallace, a senior design director for the kids division, who also serves as co-leader of the Mosaic Business Resource Team and is a designer for our #HopeAndWonder collections. Watch the full interview on the Newsroom and catch up on all the ways JCPenney honored Juneteenth this year: https://lnkd.in/g2_kuWFy

From associate events and connecting with the #LGBTQ community across the country to celebrating individual expression and supporting Point Foundation, June has been full of celebration in honor of #Pride Month at JCPenney.   As the month comes to a close, take a look back at some of the highlights on the JCPenney Newsroom: https://lnkd.in/gumnUwar #PrideMonth

In January, JCPenney asked our associates to nominate high schools that align with our core values of service, passion, energy, inclusion and family for a chance to win the Dream Prom Giveaway in which we committed to donating a total of $250,000 to deserving high schools across the country to help them throw an unforgettable #prom night. In partnership with celebrity costume designer Johnny Wujek for the #JCProm collection, we unveiled the five giveaway winners in April. To celebrate the end of the school year, head over to the JCPenney Newsroom to see how each school used the funds to celebrate their deserving students: https://lnkd.in/gpxvQux2

On Sunday, June 9, JCPenney partnered with Project Beauty to treat five deserving single mothers to a day of #JCPenneyBeauty makeovers, Salon services, a shopping spree and a Lifetouch portrait session as part of our “Beauty in Bloom Mother’s Day Makeover Giveaway.” Project Beauty’s mission is to spread #empowerment by helping women build confidence and hope while providing support and encouragement for each other. Project Beauty provides beauty services to women and children who are going through difficult circumstances. Winners of the giveaway were nominated by peers and other members of the community and chosen for their courage, strength and resilience. JCPenney also donated to Project Beauty to help continue the powerful work they do in our community, and we are proud to recognize single moms for all they do to care for their families every day.

JCPenney is proud to announce the first and second place winners of our fourth annual #HBCUDesignChallenge, created to give full-time students enrolled at historically Black colleges and universities (#HBCUs) an opportunity to showcase their creativity across our stores and online platforms. Trajan Baker, a graduate student at Hampton University pursuing a master’s degree in architecture, is our first-place winner and will receive a scholarship, an all-expense paid visit to our Home Office to shadow the JCPenney design team, seven virtual mentoring sessions with JCPenney leaders and the opportunity for his design to be included in our 2024 Black History Month and/or Juneteenth #HopeAndWonder collections. Additionally, Trajan will receive a professional headshot photoshoot and the opportunity to be styled by and shadow the Michael Strahan Brand team. Second-place winner Dennis Samuel is a student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Dennis will also receive a scholarship, an all-expense paid visit to our Home Office to shadow the JCPenney design team and seven virtual mentoring sessions with JCPenney leaders. The winning designs will be unveiled in next year’s Black History Month and Juneteenth Hope & Wonder collections. Congratulations to Trajan and Dennis!

Today is #Juneteenth, a national holiday that celebrates the official end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was officially issued on January 1, 1863, it took two and a half years for the news to reach all enslaved people. The news of freedom finally reached Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, and the first Juneteenth was celebrated on that day in 1866. As part of JCPenney’s commitment to inclusion and diversity, we once again recognize #Juneteenth as a paid company holiday. For the fourth year in a row, JCPenney associates today walked alongside the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Dr. Opal Lee, in the annual Opal’s Walk for Freedom in Dallas, Texas, with more associates joining in-person and virtually around the country. The 2.5-mile walk, started by Dr. Lee in 2016 to raise awareness of the need to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday, represents the 2.5 years it took for enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. For her incredible efforts, Dr. Lee was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Congress in 2022. We are proud to support Dr. Lee in her ongoing mission to raise awareness and understanding of the significance of this day in our nation’s history. Since 2022, 100% of net profits from the #HopeAndWonder Juneteenth collection have been donated to Unity Unlimited, Inc., the sponsor of Opal’s Walk for Freedom. See below for photos from today’s event. #OpalsWalkForFreedom #Juneteenth #WalkforUnity

Today, JCPenney unveiled a new upgrade to our 1.67 million square foot Reno, Nevada distribution center. The centerpiece of the upgrade is the implementation of the Joey Pouch sorting system, a state-of-the-art, computerized induction, sorting and packing system. This technology is expected to improve the customer experience by ensuring that online orders are complete with higher accuracy and shipped out more quickly. In 2023, we announced a multi-year, self-funded reinvestment of more than $1 billion into our business and brand aimed at better serving America’s diverse, working families that includes strengthening the customer experience through in-store physical and technology upgrades, enhanced digital capabilities, and merchandising and #supplychain operations updates. The Reno facility is a key part of upgrading our supply chain and we are excited for customers to experience the impact. Senior leaders including CEO Marc Rosen, Chief Merchant and Supply Chain Officer Michelle DeMartini Wlazlo, CIO Sharmeelee Bala, SVP of Supply Chain Chad Duennes and VP of Fulfillment Operations Kevin Shreve celebrated with the Reno team at this morning’s ribbon cutting ceremony. Special guests included Reno Vice Mayor Naomi Duerr, P.G., council member Meghan Ebert, and representatives from the offices of Governor Lombardo, Senator Cortez-Masto and Congressman Amodei. Read more on the JCPenney Newsroom: https://lnkd.in/gjHtcVtf

On Friday, Dr. Opal Lee was welcomed home at the historic site where her family’s home once stood. Surrounded by family, friends, civic leaders and supporters including many JCPenney associates, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” was gifted the keys to her new home in Fort Worth in a dedication ceremony just days before Juneteenth. When Dr. Lee was 12 years old, her family was run out of the neighborhood by a racist mob, and now 85 years later, she finally has the opportunity to return home thanks to the generosity of HistoryMaker Homes, Texas Capital and Trinity Habitat for Humanity. JCPenney is thrilled to support Dr. Lee as she embarks on a new chapter in this home, and we were honored to help make her long-awaited homecoming even more special by providing furnishings to her preferences to make the house feel like home. JCPenney donated bedding, curtains, towels, small kitchen appliances, dinnerware, pillows, throw blankets and more, and associates volunteered to move these items into the home ahead of the dedication. On Juneteenth, JCPenney associates will march alongside Dr. Lee for the fourth year in a row at Opal’s Walk for Freedom, and 100% of net profits from our #HopeAndWonder #Juneteenth collection will benefit Unity Unlimited, Inc., the nonprofit that organizes the annual walk. Read more about the dedication from The Dallas Morning News and see below for photos: https://lnkd.in/grGWeHbC