JCPenney sales led by in house brand
At JCPenney, the top-selling brand isn’t Nike or Levi’s — it’s St. John’s Bay, a private apparel label owned by the retailer. The company’s CEO, Michelle Wlazlo, told a retail publication that St. John’s Bay ranks first in sales across the entire JCPenney portfolio, outpacing national names. Private brands like Liz Claiborne also rank among the retailer’s best-performing women’s lines, spanning apparel, shoes and handbags.
Private labels have gained ground as inflation-weary shoppers seek lower prices. JCPenney’s private-brand sales penetration has increased by 5 percentage points since 2019, Wlazlo said. Today, house brands account for more than 50% of JCPenney’s total business, with particular strength in petite and plus sizes. The company carries dozens of such lines, including Arizona for jeans, Home Expressions for bedding, and Worthington for women’s professional wear.
In-store brands are nothing new for JCPenney
The retailer started making its own products over a century ago. Marathon Hats launched in 1914, followed by Big Mac shirts in 1928 and Penco sheets in 1930. But today’s cash-strapped customers, dealing with higher gas prices and rising costs, are gravitating toward these house labels more than ever. JCPenney has responded by featuring brands like Worthington in ad campaigns such as “Yes, JCPenney” and “Really Big Deals.” It has also worked with celebrity stylist Jason Bolden on private-label collaborations and marked the 50th anniversary of Liz Claiborne with an exclusive capsule collection.
Wlazlo said the retailer’s aim is to “ensure every customer can express themselves confidently, without compromising style or quality, regardless of budget.”
JCPenney isn’t alone in this push. Other retailers are pouring money into updating the look and feel of their own lines. Aldi recently redesigned its private-label packaging. Walmart announced a refresh of its Great Value brand earlier this year. Macy’s introduced four new in-house labels in 2025 as part of a larger overhaul. Private brands are becoming more popular across retail. A 2025 Gartner survey found that 77% of respondents said store brands can be just as good as — if not better than — name brands. And 52% said they would prefer buying a retailer’s premium or private label over a similarly priced national brand.
“Private-label brands are attractive goods, not just dollar-bin-saving type of commodities,” Kassi Socha, senior director analyst at Gartner, told the retail publication. “Private label continues to pick up, not just because of discretionary spending pressures, but also because retailers are heavily investing in updating their private-label brands.”
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St. John’s Bay hits $12 tees and 40-year milestone
St. John’s Bay, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, sells T-shirts for $12. Keeping the line relevant and stylish is a priority, Wlazlo said. The company relies on its in-house supply chain to churn out new looks quickly. Designers at Liz Claiborne, for example, focus on florals, stripes and polka dots to meet demand. Private apparel brands are “customer favorites across age groups,” from adults to teens to kids, she added.
Apparel is a growing field for private labels. In Gartner’s 2025 survey, 20% of respondents said they bought more store brands when buying clothing, and another 40% said they bought a mix of store and name brands. At Anthropologie, owned brands made up 71% of the business by July 2025, and the company opened its first standalone store for its private label Maeve.
“In today’s consumer world, a little black dress is a little black dress,” Socha said. “There are certainly brands that are still succeeding outside of private label, but there’s a consumer who is open to finding cost savings … in their everyday apparel needs, so that they can make more considered, focused purchases in the things where branding really does matter to them.”
JCPenney mixes private labels with national brands on the sales floor
JCPenney doesn’t separate its house brands from the big names. In stores, private labels sit alongside national ones. At the JCPenney store in Frisco, Texas, men’s Levi’s jeans are displayed next to Mutual Weave, a private brand. Xersion, a private activewear line, sits right with Nike, Adidas and Puma. This approach helps drive awareness and allows customers to mix and match, Wlazlo said.
St. John’s Bay — whose top-selling items include cable sweaters, tees and shorts — likewise sits alongside other casual-wear brands. The company didn’t break out exact sales for the line, but Wlazlo described it as a “beloved and trusted brand within JCPenney.” Customers tend to buy new colors of their favorite styles each year. One of its biggest selling points, she said, is that it is “deep and versatile,” with offerings that “truly feature something for everyone.”
Private brands are part of JCPenney’s turnaround plan
Overall, JCPenney is betting on its house labels as it tries to return to growth. In 2023, the retailer said it would funnel $1 billion back into the business by fiscal 2025. Two years later, it merged with Sparc Group to form a new fashion retail entity called Catalyst Brands. In 2026, JCPenney is still working through a turnaround. Earlier this year, the company reported that its third-quarter net sales fell 3.8% year over year, to $1.36 billion.
