New Penney’s Marketing Chief Hails from Lowe’s

On Tuesday, (May 23rd), J.C. Penney announced that Marci Grebstein is joining the company as executive vice president, chief marketing officer, next month.

The company said that the new marketing head has a two-decade retailing career, with the most recent position at home improvement company Lowe’s, a chief marketing officer tenure that last from November 2015 to January 2017.  Grebstein takes the spot previously occupied by Mary Beth West, who left the marketing post in April, moving on to the Hershey Company.

Grebstein also logged 16 years with Staples, and there had been in what Chainstoreage.com called “positions of increasingly responsibility” that focused on eCommerce and B2B marketing.

In a statement, Penney chief executive officer Marvin Ellison said that Grebstein has “a proven track record of developing winning marketing strategies for a diverse cross-section of leading national retailers.

“As we focus on enhancing our Home Refresh strategy, better utilizing customer data and optimizing our omnichannel capabilities, her broad retail expertise will be invaluable as we seek to differentiate our business through strategic marketing initiatives that will entice new and loyal customers to choose J.C. Penney for their homes and families.”

Amid woes seen generally in the retail sector (and with the company’s sales down low single digits, missing expectations), J.C. Penney has said that it is closing nearly 140 locations out of a roster of more than 1,000 locations.  Those closures are slated to be finished by the end of July.