JCPenney revamps catalog
Latest edition features more furniture
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, March 3, 2002
PLANO , Texas — A more coordinated presentation, more home furnishings, and fewer but more-open pages highlight the radically revamped JCPenney catalog.
The catalog, troubled for a number of years, now is under the direction of John Irvin, former chief executive officer of Spiegel catalog.
Penney's new edition is lifestyle driven, especially in home — which accounts for 56% of the merchandise pages, up from 54% in last year's spring/summer book. This time around, there are 150 fewer merchandise pages for a total of 1,232.
And as with the stores, the catalog pages attempt to eliminate the clutter of past presentations, with fewer items per page.
Penney also has streamlined its circulation, dropping from more than 15 million last year to 14 million for this spring/summer book as it aims for a catalog customer who has a purchasing pattern with the company, according to Stephanie Brown, a Penney spokes-person.
Everything in the catalog also is offered on the Internet, and the catalog expands beyond the assortment in stores.
At the same time, Penney has redone its specialty catalog approach, offering 28 this year versus 30 last year, 38 in 2000 and 41 in 1999. Home furnishings will have 17 of the 2002 specialty books, up from 14 last year. Already, one of the two home catalogs issued so far this year features furniture on the cover, and furniture, bedding or rugs on 43 of its 92 pages.
In the spring/summer catalog, an example of the new approach is that there is no separate presentation of dining furniture. Instead, the new approach features a "dining in style" section with furniture pictured along with dinnerware, linens and accessories.
Most other furniture, however, is presented in a 71-page section, with bedroom furniture on 24 pages and upholstery, including recliners, on 21. The balance is divided among occasional, unfinished, home office and bedding.
Outdoor furniture has a section of its own.
In bedding, Penney features the Simmons Olympic queen for the second season, but offers no textile bedding products in the catalog to fit it. The Olympic queen accounts for some 15% of the queen size catalog bedding sales. Customers making a purchase are offered a "phone prompt" for white sheets to fit.
The sale catalog, designed to mirror the February furniture sale event in stores, offers catalog customers 90 days with no interest on furniture purchases of $200 or more purchased with a JCPenney credit card.
| JCPenney moves upscale in its specialty home catalog with armoires for the office offered in a range of colors and a collection of entertainment armoires. |
| The JCPenney spring/summer catalog continues its push on metal beds with four pages offering beds from basic to canopy to daybed styles, most with accent pieces. |
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