JCPenney in The Empire Mall to add baby shop

Aug. 13, 2018

JCPenney in The Empire Mall is one of 500 company stores expanding its merchandise for babies to include items such as cribs, car seats, strollers and bottles.

“The baby care business is expected to reach over $13 billion by 2021, and we are seizing this opportunity to pursue available market share and aggressively go after the baby customer with these new shops,” said James Starke, senior vice president and head of merchandising for JCPenney. “We’ve strategically chosen these 500 JCPenney locations because the majority of the stores are near a specialty baby retailer that has recently closed its doors.”

Toys R Us and Babies R Us closed in late June on The Empire Mall’s campus.

“JCPenney appreciates the importance of having a broad assortment of baby products online, but we also know that there are certain items that parents – especially first-time parents – want to see in person. They want to test out the stroller, feel the crib sheets and compare bottle sizes in person,” Starke said. “Our competition is underestimating the importance of a physical in-store baby shop, and that is where JCPenney is going to differentiate.”

The store at The Empire Mall is dedicating 300 square feet next to baby apparel for the expanded offerings, a manager said.

The baby shop will open Aug. 30.

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JCPenney in The Empire Mall to add baby shop

JCPenney in The Empire Mall is one of 500 company stores expanding merchandise for babies to include items such as cribs, car seats, strollers and bottles.

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