Polo Ralph Lauren creating exclusive brand for Penney
By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 2/1/2007 6:52:00 AM
Plano, Texas – Polo Ralph Lauren next year plans to launch American Living, a new lifestyle brand created exclusively for JCPenney by Polo Ralph Lauren's Global Brand Concepts, a new group within the designer brand company.
The spring 2008 launch will be the largest in JCPenney's history and will include a full range of merchandise for women, men and children, as well as home, intimate apparel and accessories. American Living will be available in stores, catalog and at jcp.com.
Global Brand Concepts will design, produce, market and advertise the American Living brand.
The deal gives Polo Ralph Lauren exposure to a more robust and rapidly growing channel than the consolidating department store realm in which its LaurenRalphLaurenHome merchandise is confined. Attempts in the in 1990s and again in mid-2000 to extend the brand in some fashion into the specialty chain channel were quashed.
JCP is not the only mid-tier retailer with a Polo Ralph Lauren sub-brand on the drawing board for home. Rival Kohl’s last year introduced the design company’s Chaps brand in sportswear. Kohl’s executives said they expect to expand Chaps into home.
