Were 23 Illinois JCPenney Stores Just Saved By a Texas Brand?

Many believe that traditional brick and mortar old school department stores are on an unavoidable downhill trajectory that will lead to more closings unless something major changes. Well, something major just change which might mean 23 Illinois JCPenney stores were just saved by a Texas brand.

I saw US Campaign just report on something very interesting the JCPenney did. As a part of what they describe as "a reinvention", JCPenney department stores has just merged with Catalyst Brands.

What is Catalyst Brands and what does this mean for all 23 Illinois JCPenney stores?

Catalyst Brands out of Plano, Texas is exactly what the name infers - it is a combination of numerous brands including Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica. This merger means that JCPenney in-house brands Stafford, Arizona and Liz Claiborne are now a part of the above umbrella of brands.

The belief is that this could be the saving grace for the many JCPenney stores that are a part of what used to be American malls.

The big elephant in the room is the internet. Will this new admittedly more compelling combination of brands be able to stem the tide of those who have taken their clothing shopping online? The combined firepower of JCPenney's tradition and the other diverse clothing brands can't hurt, but it still has to overcome the always present internet which still holds the advantage of not having to pay for a physical presence in a mall. Perhaps the convenience of being able to go to an Illinois store to try on clothes before buying will win the day again. Maybe.