Pacific Northern, Inc. announces the launch of JCPenney’s new nation-wide watch display program in October 2004. JCPenney chose to collaborate with Pacific Northern and a number of watch companies to develop a new display system to be rolled-out to 450 of their stores. The criteria set forth by JCPenney were such that this display system needed to be cohesive in its presentation and, yet, distinctive among different watch brands. Usability and functionality were high in the ranks of criteria as well.
A project of this magnitude requires support and dedication from all involved parties. Companies such as Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova, along with many other well known watch brands, played key roles in determining the look of the finished display system based on each brand’s individual merchandising needs, marketing direction, and color/material selections. Their individual requirements were incorporated into common parts and pieces of the display system that strongly identified each brand. On the other hand, the look of the base platforms and/or foundations of the displays was dictated by the image of the JCPenney fine jewelry display system. Expandable side pieces, continuous harmonica stripping for the watch collars, and highlight risers – all came together in a modular presentation for the watch showcases
Pacific Northern, Inc. not only manufactured this new system, but also took on the responsibility as the program manager. As such, Pacific Northern, Inc. spearheaded the design and development initiative and coordinated the logistics to ensure a successful roll out to 450 stores nationwide. Projects of this magnitude are not uncommon for Pacific Northern. Major retailers like JCPenney regularly update their visual presentations to reflect their new merchandising and marketing strategies. However, the uniqueness of this particular program lies in participation of multiple companies in the design process, thus complicating and multiplying each step of the project development.
Linda Douglas, Executive Vice President of the Retail Display and Visual Merchandising Division, remarked: “We are extremely glad that this cooperation, although highly complicated in the various phases of development, came to fruition. I want to thank all members of Pacific Northern team for their efforts in bringing this challenging task to a successful completion. We are all highly confident that this new display system will provide JCPenney customers an easy and pleasant shopping experience.”