J.C. Penney, in full J.C. Penney Corporation, Inc., formerly J.C. Penney Stores Company (1913–24) and J.C. Penney Co. (1924–68), American retail company, founded in 1902 by James Cash Penney and today engaged in marketing apparel, home furnishings, jewelry, cosmetics, and cookware.

As one of the nation's largest retailers of apparel, home, jewelry, and beauty merchandise, JCPenney has a portfolio of private and national brands of remarkable quality and exceptional value.

Departments inside JCPenney stores include Men's, Women's, Boys', Girls', Baby, Bedding, Home, Fine Jewelry, Shoes, Lingerie, JCPenney Salon, JCPenney Beauty, as well as leased departments such as Seattle's Best Coffee, US Vision optical centers, and Lifetouch portrait studios.

The department store last year reintroduced its private activewear brand Xersion, along with womenswear brand Ryegrass and home brand Loom + Forge. The company launched other private labels including apparel line Stylus and home brand Linden Street, in 2020.

He accepted “cash only” for his goods, rather than credit. Penney's store was successful because his customers liked the merchandise and good service. Within a year, Penney was managing two more stores. Soon, he had a one-third ownership in three stores in Wyoming.

J.C. Penney's competitors and similar companies include Burlington Stores, Macy's, Target and Kohl's. J. C. Penney is a department store chain. Macy's is a retail company that sells apparel, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and other consumer goods. Target is a general merchandise retailer.

J.C. Penney's sales have stayed relatively steady since 2021, but profits are declining. Net sales, in billions, and net income or loss, in millions, from the first quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022.

For the full year ending in January 2023, JCPenney's net sales fell 3.4% year-over-year to $7.6 billion. Overall, department store sales dropped 1.5% over the first seven months of 2023, compared to a year ago, Census data shows.

J.C. Penney (JCP) has long generated about half of its revenue from its own in-house brands, which range from Liz Claiborne to St. John's Bay to Arizona jeans, among many others.

A private label is a product or service produced by one company and sold under another company's brand. For example, a company that manufactures clothes may produce a line of clothing under a different company's brand name rather than under its brand name.

A private label product is one that a retailer gets produced by a third-party but sells under its own brand name. The retailer controls everything about the product or products. That includes the specs of the product, how it's packaged, and everything else besides.

Working at JCPenney means joining a dedicated team of associates who are encouraged to be uniquely themselves in a collaborative and inclusive environment. After all, JCPenney is more than a destination for style and value, it's a place where careers prosper, accomplishments are celebrated and diversity flourishes.