JCPenney partners with InStyle

Five months after a Sephora beauty and skin care products store opened inside the JCPenney at Westdale, the recently remodeled Cedar Rapids store marked another milestone Friday.

The Salon by InStyle inside JCPenney is the first of its kind in Iowa. The salon represents an exclusive national partnership between InStyle magazine and the Plano, Texas-based retailer.

'We've been in the styling salon business since the 1960s,” said Barry Donovan. manager of JCPenney Westdale. 'With us branding with InStyle magazine, we're going to let everybody know about our expert stylists and the immense training that they are going through for their education.

'We will offer a scalp massage and hot towel treatment. Together with Sephora, we will offer a one stop shopping experience.”

Karla Hood, manager of the Salon by InStyle inside JCPenney, said the transition has been in the works for months.

'Everything is new in the salon,” Hood said. 'From the floor to the ceiling, all the fixtures are brand-new.

'When we heard that Sephora was coming, we knew they wouldn't come unless everything was brand-new. We saw the pieces lining up and we're very excited about the partnership with InStyle magazine.

'We were hand-picked to be one of the earliest InStyle salons in the country.”

Kathy Novotny of Shueyville, who has a regular appointment each Friday morning, was pleased with the newly-branded salon and the outcome of a $3.5 million remodeling of the Westdale store.

'When they started remodeling the whole store, I thought ‘Hurry up and get done,' but it has been well worth it,” Novotny said. 'Everything in the salon is new, including our chairs. I hope their business continues to do well.”

Scott Hansen, JCPenney district manager with 21 stores in Iowa, northern Missouri and central Illinois, said the Salon by InStyle inside JCPenney represents more than a financial commitment on the part of the Dallas, Texas-based retailer.

'It's also an investment in our people as a means of further satisfying our customers,” Hansen said. 'We have ongoing education for our stylists to be on point with new trends and styles. We also are providing them with vendor training in terms of service and retail.”

JCPenney on Friday said it expects to post its first annual profit in five years in 2016, and reported a bigger-than-expected profit for the fourth quarter due to strong holiday sales and fewer discounts.

The company expects to overturn four years of losses by opening about 60 more Sephora beauty outlets, boosting margins in its clearance and private brands businesses, and through supply chain efficiencies.

Total sales rose a better-than-expected 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015 to $4 billion, while same-store sales rose 4.1 percent, in line with analysts' expectations.