J.C. Penney plans a virtual store in Times Square

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. on March 3 will open a virtual store in New York City’s Times Square that will give customers access to the 250,000 items available on its web site via interactive kiosks. The store—which will be modeled after JCPenney’s signature trademark Big Red Box—will be at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway.

Guide to E-Commerce Technology

The 15,000-square-foot “JCPenney Experience” store is part of the kick-off of the retailer’s largest branding event in history, the company said. The opening of the virtual store also coincides with J.C Penney’s exclusive retail sponsorship for the fifth year in a row of the March 5 Academy Awards telecast.

JCPenney, No. 11 in the Internet Retailer Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites, also is launching an integrated marketing campaign that will include broadcast and print advertising as well as an online marketing alliance with AOL/Yahoo, which will allow customers to view the retailer’s TV ads online and click and buy the featured merchandise.

“The JCPenney Experience will be a dramatic statement reflective of the changes taking place at J.C. Penney,” said Myron E. Ullman III, chairman and CEO. “Shoppers will see that we are listening to what they tell us and focusing our brands and assortments to reflect their lifestyles, from trendy and modern to traditional and conservative. They will also experience first-hand the incredible power of www.jcp.com.”