JCPenney Charts a Fresh Course and Initiates a Search for a New Chief Executive Officer

The Daily Gazette Co. will close its purchase of The Daily Mail and The Register-Star from Johnson Newspapers by the end of January. The Register-Star serves Columbia County and The Daily Mail Greene County. These areas encompass the Hudson and Catskill areas of New York State, the Times Union reports.

Full Year 2017 Results: Total net sales decreased (0.3) % to $12.51 billion compared to $12.55 billion last year. Comparable sales increased 0.1 % for full year 2017. The slight decline in total net sales was primarily due to store closures in 2017, most of which closed in the first half of the year, and was partially offset by incremental sales for the 53rd week. Net loss was ($116) million, or ($0.37) per share, compared to net income of $1 million, or $0.00 per share last year. This reduction was driven primarily by restructuring charges associated with the fiscal 2017 store closures and voluntary early retirement program. Click Read More below for additional information.

Sustainability is playing an increasingly larger role in the lives of young consumers, particularly among Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Generation Z (born 1997 and after). This trend is expected to continue as Gen Z consumers enter the workforce and start setting up their own households. As a result, the Paper and Packaging Board’s “How Life Unfolds” Campaign® is launching a new sustainability-focused effort to more appealing to young consumers. “As our consumer audience begins to age up, we need to keep reaching out to younger generations with important sustainability messaging,” explains Mary Anne Hansan, president of the Paper and Packaging Board. “They are worried about the environment, have heard stories about recycling not being worthwhile and have misperceptions about the health of U.S. forests. That’s why we’ve created a campaign set to reach a younger audience with content that is both entertaining and educational.” The new effort is based in part on findings from The Hartman Group’s “Sustainability 2019: Beyond Business as Usual” study of American consumers aged 18-73. Researchers found that sustainability is “a cultural value and defining concern for today’s consumer,” and that “consumers increasingly hold companies and governments responsible for sustainability than individuals,” even as they adjust their own behaviors to lessen their personal environmental footprint.