JCPenney leans on deals, Shaq and NFL to drive comeback
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JCPenney's Really Big Deals campaign returned to Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, Sept. 11. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
JCPenney is betting on humor and Thursday Night Football to help power its turnaround and early holiday shopping, the retailer told Axios.
Why it matters: The returning weekly campaign is part of JCPenney's post-bankruptcy reinvention, launching as holiday shoppers are expected to pull back and seek savings.
The big picture: The retailer debuted the third season of its "Really Big Deals" campaign, introduced during Prime Video's Thursday Night Football.
- Each week through Christmas, comedians will deliver riffs on JCPenney's latest deal from a store-turned-comedy club — with Shaquille O'Neal hosting.
- The deals immediately go live online after being revealed on the NFL broadcast and extend to stores from Friday through Sunday.
Zoom in: The campaign kicks off with a buy one, get two towels free offer — a nod to one of its biggest offers last year. The towel deal is available through Sept. 14.
- Last fall, the company said it sold nearly one million towels in a single weekend.
What they're saying: "It all ties into people getting surprised and delighted about what we offer, between the products, the value, the boldness," JCPenney CEO Michelle Wlazlo told Axios.
- Wlazlo said Shaq will host each week but there will be a different deal with different talent.
- "We are prioritizing customer value over everything and where we can we will hold prices for our customer," she told Axios, adding the company is working to limit "the impact to our customers as much as possible."
Flashback: Texas-based JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 and closed around 200 locations in bankruptcy.
- It emerged from bankruptcy after being acquired by mall owners Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
- This January, JCPenney and retail store operator Sparc announced they were merging to form a U.S. retailing behemoth Catalyst Brands.
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