Plano-based J.C. Penney Adds Toy Shops to Its 1,000 Stores, Online

J.C. Penney will open toy shops in its more than 1,000 stores in a year-round effort to bring back excitement previously drummed up by the thick catalogs of holiday shopping seasons gone by. The move is an effort to compete with online retailers by increasing how much Penney customers spend while in brick-and-mortar stores or on jcpenney.com.J.C. Penney had already added toys to the children's departments in 100 stores, according to USA Today. Several of those have play areas for kids to try out toys. "We brought toys back last holiday season to see if they would resonate once again," John Tighe, executive vice president and chief merchant for JCPenney, said in a statement. "We were extremely pleased by customer response and confidently made the decision to grow our toy assortment in stores and at JCPenney.com."   Continue reading...