Thursday, April 5, 2012

J.C. Penney Co. says it has laid off 600 associates, or 13 percent of the staff at its headquarters in Plano, Texas, as the department store chain looks to streamline its operations amid a major reinvention of the business.

The department store chain also will eliminate 300 additional associates at the Customer Call Center when it closes the center
July 1.

The moves come as its new CEO, former Apple Inc. executive Ron Johnson, is transforming every aspect of its business, from pricing
to the brands it carries.

The company had hinted that cuts would come when it told investors in January that it planned to reduce layers of management at its headquarters. Before the layoffs, the company had 4,400 employees at its headquarters.