JCPenney Joins Forces With Stardoll.com to Make Virtual Fashion a Reality for Tween Girls

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and Stardoll.com, one of the world's largest online communities for teen and tween girls who love fashion, shopping and design, are coming together to create the first-ever, exclusive Stardoll brand of clothing and accessories.  This exciting, new brand will launch in 300 JCPenney stores and on jcp.com for the 2011 back-to-school season.

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This new collaboration capitalizes on the strengths of both companies to make a virtual fashion and gaming experience into a reality. Stardoll has built a large and loyal following among fashion-minded teen and tween girls with fun, interactive games that allow users to create and dress their own personalized "MeDoll" avatars.  JCPenney has long been a leader in the digital space, known for introducing innovative approaches to the way our customers shop. In keeping with this, JCPenney recognized the opportunity to leverage the insights from the Stardoll virtual community to introduce a line of Stardoll clothing and accessories for girls, a customer category where JCPenney has significant market share and a track record of brand-building success.

"Given the enormous popularity of Stardoll, which has over 90 million members around the world, bringing the Stardoll brand to life presents an exceptional opportunity to reinforce JCPenney as the first-choice style destination for tween girls," said Clark McNaught, senior vice president and general merchandising manager for JCPenney's children's division. "Beyond that, this innovative collaboration will allow us to continually improve this new brand, by observing and reacting to the style trends that resonate with the Stardoll community."

The first Stardoll collection to launch exclusively at JCPenney will feature a mix of trendy apparel and accessories for girls sizes 7-16 in 300 stores and jcp.com. The collection will retail from $11.99 - $23.99, making it easy and affordable to mix-and-match pieces for multiple "glam" looks. The first collection features a candy-colored array of tops and bottoms adorned with girly embellishments such as sparkling glitter and 3-D appliques.  An additional collection inspired by the young Latina customer will debut for holiday.

"This is a truly exciting venture and we're proud to partner with one of America's most popular department stores to bring the Stardoll fashion experience to life for the very first time," said Stardoll Network CEO Mattias Miksche. "With millions of aspiring fashionistas throughout the U.S., we're confident that our brand of clothing at JCPenney will resonate with girls everywhere as their online involvement and creative fashion sensibilities will successfully drive those lines that will ultimately be available on the sales floor."

About JCPenney

JCPenney, one of America's leading retailers, operates over 1,100 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com. Serving more than half of America's families each year, JCPenney offers a wide array of private, exclusive and national brands which reflect the Company's vision to be America's shopping destination for discovering great styles at compelling prices. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the $17.8 billion retailer is transforming its organization to support its Long Range Plan strategies to build a sustainable, profitable enterprise that serves its customers, engages its associates and rewards its shareholders.  For more information, visit www.jcpenney.net.

About Stardoll

The Stardoll Network is the world's leading group of websites devoted to young women and teens. Launched in early 2009, the network includes: Stardoll.com – the entertainment destination for young women focused on fame, fashion and friends; Piczo.com – the original platform devoted to social self expression and visual blogging; and PaperDollHeaven.com – a simpler game-play environment for the younger, female demographic. The Stardoll Network works with the world's largest brands as they look to engage with an increasingly elusive teen audience. The network is the number one publisher in ComScore's teen category, both in Europe and globally. The business is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with offices in the US, UK and Germany, and is backed by two of the world's top venture capital firms: Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures.

JCPenney Media Contact:

April Dinwoodie or Daphne Avila; 972-431-3400; [email protected]

Stardoll Network Media Contact:

Joan Lockwood; +44-020-7292-7143; [email protected]

SOURCE J. C. Penney Company, Inc.