Retail Briefs

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 4/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

JCPenney Ties to OurWeddingDay.com

With wedding spending down 24% compared to last year, JCPenney is looking to appeal to budget-conscious brides through a partnership with OurWeddingDay.com, an online wedding planning resource. The alliance will offer brides more value and make JCP's registry a one-stop shop, said Mike Boylson, chief marketing officer, JCP. When a bride registers at JCPenney, she will receive a complimentary membership to OurWeddingDay.com. Benefits include real-time advice from wedding experts, a task list, an event manager tool and the option for couples to create a personalized web site for their own wedding. The average price of a wedding was $21,814 last year, according to JCPenney. That price is forecast to fall 6.5% this year to $20,398.

Britney Art Out for Kohl's Candie's

Iconix Brand Group, which licenses the juniors Candie's brand exclusively to Kohl's for apparel and home goods, unveiled the key art for the Britney Spears campaign endorsing the brand. A pull-out poster will appear in the April 15 issue of Us Weekly magazine. Iconix said the art will be "heavily integrated into Kohl's marketing vehicles, including circulars, in-store graphics, online, direct mail, email blasts, radio integration and outdoor billboards." The company added, "A television and print campaign will appear later this summer in fashion and lifestyle magazines for the back-to-school season." Kohl's and Candie's are associate sponsors of the ongoing "Circus" tour; the Spears album of the same name is now her fifth career Platinum album.

LNT Retail Website Up and Running

Proclaiming "Brand's you like... Savings you'll love!" the new Linens 'n Things website, www.LNT.com, is inviting consumers by email to shop bargain-priced goods. Recipients of the promotional email sent out on March 23 were invited to "preview the new www.LNT.com before the grand re-opening!" Brands listed on the site include: Croscill Home, Sferra Encore, Waverly, Laura Ashley, Vera Wang (hardlines only), and others. Many, if not most, products currently show "clearance" or "special" pricing. The following week, the site began promoting a sweepstakes with a $500 room makeover as grand prize; the contest was tied to a solicitation to sign up for the LNT newsletter.

Gordon Brothers Brands and Hilco Consumer Capital acquired the LNT brand and website in late January.