J.C. Penney names James DePaul as executive vice president of stores

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jul 31, 2019

Plano, Texas-based department store company J. C. Penney Company, Inc. has named James DePaul as its new executive vice president of stores, effective August 5. 

In the new role, DePaul will be responsible for improving in-store and omnichannel operations as part of the company’s efforts to grow traffic, engagement and customer retention. He will manage the company’s stores, store operations, store environment and design, and asset protection teams, and will report to Jill Soltau, chief executive officer.

Mike Robbins, the company's current executive vice president of stores and supply chain, will exit the company as of August 3, 2019.

“[DePaul’s] track record of delivering a positive, end-to-end customer experience through seamless omni-channel integration makes him a perfect choice as we deliver on our commitment to providing an engaging and rewarding shopping experience for our customers,” said Soltau. 

Prior to joining J.C. Penney, DePaul served as chief operations officer at Shopko Stores. In the role, he was responsible for stores, pharmacy, optical, supply chain, e-commerce operations, non-merchandise procurement, store operations, store development, loss prevention and merchandise support.

Prior to his time as COO, he also held roles as Shopko’s chief administrative officer and senior vice president of stores and operations. DePaul also spent three years in merchandising and operations positions with Target Corporation.

The appointment comes as J.C. Penney fights to keep up with competitors in the department store, discount store and digital retail landscape. In its pursuit of an overhaul, the company reportedly hired advisers to explore debt restructuring options earlier this month, after it was revealed the department store was operating with roughly $4 billion in debt.

Currently, J.C. Penney is operating with over $1.5 billion available under a revolving credit line.