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In 2016, J.C. Penney has experimented with multiple product categories that compete directly with home improvement retailers, and the year isn’t quite over yet.
The Texas company began selling heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in November in test stores in partnership with the manufacturer Trane, according to The Dallas Morning News.
That news follows a busy year of J.C. Penney expanding its home-related product offerings under the leadership of former Home Depot executive Marvin Ellison, who took over as J.C. Penney’s CEO in 2014.
J.C. Penney began selling large appliances in October from 500 of its stores, expanded its window treatment offering, tested flooring sales and expanded the furniture assortment at some stores. Selling HVAC systems is yet another home improvement experiment.
Those are efforts toward reaching company goals that include “Revitalizing the JCPenney Home store to entice customers seeking to update their homes,” according to a three-year plan the company announced in August.
The stores opened their new appliance departments in October, in preparation for holiday shopping during Thanksgiving week, The Dallas Morning News reports.
“Consumers have been conditioned to find some of the best prices on refrigerators and washing machines during this week,” Ellison says in the article.
