Plano, Texas-based department store JCPenney has abandoned its efforts to appeal to millennial shoppers, according to its EVP Supply Chain Mike Robbins, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He said the retailer is taking strides to return to its “core customer,” the middle-aged mom.
According to a poll by Kantar Retail, JCPenney comes out with the oldest shoppers among department stores, with its average customer of 51 years old. Macy’s trended at 50 years old, Nordstrom was at 44, and Kohl’s averaged 51, according to Business Insider. In recent years, the company had been attempting to appeal to millennial moms, as well as Gen Z shoppers, but failed to maintain attention on its primary demographic, which analysts in 2016 credited for 55 percent of its business. Robbins told The Wall Street Journal, “We did lose our way.”
The company has been unprofitable for the past 15 of 17 quarters. Recently, its CEO, Marvin Ellison – who has been praised for much of the company’s turnaround – departed the company for the top job at Lowe’s. Its confused vision over the years has been credited for its high turnover of executives in recent years.