jcpenney Ranked No. 1 Retailer for Diversity by DiversityInc

PLANO, Texas, March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- jcpenney, one of America's favorite shopping destinations, has recently been named the No. 1 retailer on DiversityInc's annual ranking of "Top 50 Companies for Diversity®," which recognizes leading organizations for best practices in diversity management. This is the second consecutive year that the Company has earned its place on the list, moving up 11 spots to No. 35 overall -- signifying the tremendous progress it has made fostering a diverse workforce, generating customer loyalty and promoting the growth of diverse supplier relationships. Through these collective efforts, jcpenney also ranked No. 7 of the "Top 10 Companies for Latinos" by DiversityInc.

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"With more than 150,000 associates working across more than 1,100 stores and units, our success depends on our ability to deliver on the increasingly diverse needs of the more than half of America's families that shop jcpenney each year," said Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and chief executive officer of jcpenney. "Infusing diversity throughout every aspect of our business – from our multicultural marketing to associate recruiting and retention programs to leveraging our strong relationships with suppliers – has been a key driver to achieving associate engagement levels within the top quartile of all U.S. companies and to continually improving on our industry-leading customer service."

DiversityInc surveyed 535 companies with more than 1,000 employees that participated in this year's survey. As a result, jcpenney was ranked as the No. 1 retailer for Diversity due to the Company's ongoing commitment to building a company culture that respects and values the contributions of its diverse associates, customers and suppliers. jcpenney's Inclusion and Diversity Council is credited with developing key strategies and benchmarks around initiatives such as associate development, supplier diversity and customer relationship management, which includes performance metrics to ensure demonstrated progress in these areas.

Prior to receiving these two distinctions, jcpenney was awarded in November 2010 DiversityInc's "Top Company for Diversity-Management Progress" for its considerable gains in workforce diversity in the retail sector and throughout corporate America.

"Over the past two years, jcpenney has made significant strides in improving its diversity management priorities," said Luke Visconti, chief executive officer for DiversityInc. "They have enhanced the visibility and purpose of its associate resource teams, who serve as a conduit for communication and training, and provide valuable insights into the diverse needs of communities they serve."

The 2011 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list was revealed on March 2 at DiversityInc's annual awards dinner in Washington, D.C. To see the full ranking as well as more information on the methodology, visit DiversityInc.com/top50.

About J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

J. C. Penney Company, Inc., one of America's leading retailers, operates over 1,100 jcpenney 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, the jcpenney brand 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.

jcpenney media contact:
Daphne Avila; 972-431-3400; [email protected]

SOURCE jcpenney