They believe that exclusive associations with brands will enable them to leverage on the popularity of the brands. Also exclusivity makes them stand out from competitors. JC Penney’s effective inventory and cost management led to record gross profit. This was caused by a combination of internal factors like tight alignment between sales and inventories, significantly reduced clearance activity, strength in sourcing, and improved performance of private label brands. J.C. Penney has established themselves as one of the leading retailers in the United States, and therefore, has a well known name and band of loyal customers. A recent report on J.C. Penney Corporation, Inc. states strengths that JC Penney Co. has compared to competing corporations. J.C. Penney’s focuses on customer service to keep them coming back. They developed a training focusing on putting the customer first. The training is enhancing the Associate Engagement scores which continue to translate into enhanced customer service. They provide a JCP Rewards loyalty program, which has over 4 million customers. They believe that outstanding customer service will drive customers to spend more and shop more often than an average customer. They also have private and exclusive brands such as Sephora and American Living. In 2008 private and exclusive brands together accounted for approximately 50 percent of