PLANO, Texas – (July 19, 2016) – This back-to-school season, JCPenney has curated the best assortment of trend-right apparel, shoes and accessories so every kid can start the new school year with a look that’s #SoWorthIt. “So You. So Worth It” is the inspirational tagline behind the Company’s new back-to-school multimedia marketing campaign, debuting July 24. And to help make back-to-shopping even easier, the Company has launched a redesigned JCPenney mobile app which offers a simplified shopping experience, as well as expanded its ‘Buy Online, Pick Up In Store Same Day’ option to all stores nationwide. Over 150,000 items on jcp.com are now available for same-day pick up at any JCPenney store, giving customers a head start on their back-to-school shopping lists.

“Back-to-school represents a fresh start and an opportunity for Mom to prepare her kids for the new school year ahead. She wants her kids to feel confident and the key to doing that is to let them be themselves. At JCPenney, we have the styles and trends that allow kids to best express their personalities – and all at budget-friendly prices,” said Mary Beth West, chief customer and marketing officer for JCPenney. “Our marketing campaign and promotions will be aimed squarely at the modern American mom, who will be planning multiple shopping trips to take advantage of great savings, must-have styles and convenient digital experiences that make JCPenney worth shopping the entire back-to-school season.”

DEALS WORTH CATCHING
JCPenney continues to emphasize customer value by offering a range of promotions throughout the popular back-to-school shopping period. The retailer is kicking off the season with its “Power Penney Days” this week, showcasing a variety of $3, $5, $7 and $9 deals on key items, along with various “buy one, get one” for a penny offers on brands found only at JCPenney.

On July 22 and 23, JCPenney shoppers will be greeted with an envelope containing a coupon worth $10 off $10, $20 off $20, or $100 off $100 or more purchase, while supplies last. Additionally, on July 23 and Aug. 7, JCPenney store associates will surprise and delight customers by giving away a limited quantity of colorful, “penny” notebooks. The notebook will include a back-to-school checklist that highlights all the clothing and gear kids need, along with a coupon that Mom can use up to six times throughout the season.

Kids ages 12 and under can take advantage of $10 haircuts now through the end of August at all jcp salons and the Salon by InStyle. To complete the back-to-school look, eyeglasses for kids ages 16 and under are available for $39.99 at all JCPenney optical locations.

TRENDS WORTH SHOPPING
Hot trends for teen girls heading back to school include Victorian lace, corduroy skirts, varsity sweaters and babydoll dresses while teen guys will see plaids, hoodies, jogger pants and moto jackets dominate their new school year style. The back-to-school shop on jcp.com features these top looks and more in an easy-to-shop format. To provide even more shopping inspiration, JCPenney has created “Outfits You’ll Love,” found on jcp.com, featuring eight stylish pieces that can be mixed into two week’s worth of outfits for each school-age group.

JCPenney is the ultimate shopping destination when it comes to back-to-school trends, with the styles and brands that students want and the quality and value Moms deem #SoWorthIt. Here are just a few examples:

• Denim must-haves: A new school year is synonymous with a new pair of jeans and JCPenney has the latest denim trends including flare, skinny, destructed, high-waisted, patchwork and jegging to get the school year started in style. With top brands such as Levi’s®, The Original Arizona Jean Company® and Total Girl®, kids and teens will find the brands, sizes and fashion to fit their personalities.
• Always active: For kiddos on the move, JCPenney has a huge assortment of active wear from key brands including Xersion™, City Streets® and Nike®. Xersion and Nike are now available for preschoolers in select JCPenney stores and jcp.com, allowing even the youngest students to dress just like the big kids.
• New kicks: JCPenney has the shoes to help any kid put their best foot forward with popular brands such as Nike, Converse® and Vans®. Brand new this year, Xersion athletic shoes for boys and girls are perfect for playing kickball during recess or just hanging out with friends.
• Special sizes: Complementing the vast selection of plus and husky sizes for kids available in stores and at jcp.com, JCPenney is expanding its new juniors plus size assortment for the new school year. Teen girls who are seeking the latest trends to fit curvier figures will find even more fashion and athleisure choices in juniors plus apparel from Decree®, Arizona and City Streets.
• School uniforms: JCPenney continues to be the year-round headquarters for school uniforms, offering polos, pants, shorts, skirts, sweaters and more from IZOD® and Arizona in stores. A vast selection of special size uniforms can be found in stores, with an expanded selection at jcp.com from IZOD, Arizona and French Toast®.
• Dorm shop: For college-bound students, the Dorm Shop at JCPenney has everything they need to make a dorm room feel like home, such as extra-long bedding from Home Expressions™ and IZOD, small appliances from Cooks by JCPenney Home™ and Keurig® and colorful décor.
• Inspire imagination: The Disney® shop inside JCPenney helps little ones get a magical start to the new school year. Lunchboxes, backpacks and pencil boxes feature some of Disney’s most popular characters from Finding Dory, Frozen, Sofia the First, Cars and Toy Story, to name a few

STARS WORTH MEETING
JCPenney is connecting with millions of tech-savvy teens as the exclusive retail sponsor of Fullscreen Live’s annual “Girls Night In” national tour. Featuring some of YouTube’s top fashion, performance and lifestyle gurus, Alisha Marie, Niki & Gabi DeMartino, Alyson Stoner and Jessie Paege, these popular vloggers have a combined fan base of over 20 million followers. During the 24-city national tour, the girls will perform an interactive variety show with games, sketches, contests, musical and dance performances, and even custom JCPenney styling sessions with lucky members of each audience. JCPenney stores in Phoenix, Denver and Seattle will host three events where a Girls Night In star will participate in a Q&A session, discuss fashion trends and showcase her favorite back-to-style looks, found only at JCPenney. During the last stop, the Girls Night In social media stars will take over the JCPenney Snapchat account giving followers exclusive behind-the-scenes access.

CAUSES WORTH SUPPORTING
JCPenney is expanding its 20-year partnership with the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) this back-to-school season by donating $1, up to $250,000, for every pair of Arizona jeans sold now through Sept. 2. This donation will support the Y’s academic achievement programs, which helps kids across the country reach their full potential. JCPenney will also host a back-to-school community event at a local Y branch in Los Angeles, offering an Arizona denim bar, complimentary haircuts, optical exams, entertainment, games and more. Separately, JCPenney Cares, a 501(c)3 public charity, will support the Y with an additional $250,000 donation.

For store b-roll and a Spanish version of this release, please visit:
http://www.jcpnewsroom.com/news-releases/2016/0719_entices_back_to_school_shoppers.html

For back-to-school trend images, please visit the Back-to-School 2016 look book:
http://www.jcpnewsroom.com/lookbooks-bts2016.html.

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Media Relations:
(972) 431-3400 or jcpnews@jcp.com; Follow us at @jcpnews

About JCPenney:
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), one of the nation’s largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, is on a mission to ensure every shopping experience is worth the customer’s time, money and effort. Whether shopping jcp.com or visiting one of over 1,000 store locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, customers will discover a broad assortment of products from a leading portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands. Supporting this value proposition is the warrior spirit of over 100,000 JCPenney associates worldwide, who are focused on the Company’s three strategic priorities of strengthening private brands, becoming a world-class omnichannel retailer and increasing revenue per customer. For additional information, please visit jcp.com.

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