Investing.com -- In an ongoing quest to jumpstart its fledgling sales, JC Penney Company Inc. (NYSE:JCP) revamped its corporate leadership team on Monday with the hiring of former executives from The Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Target.
The Plano, Texas-based department store chain is attempting to maximize the efficiency of its onmichannel capabilities with the hiring of Michael Amend, as its executive vice president of omnichannel, as well as the addition of Mike Robbins as senior vice president of supply chain. Amend, who will join JCPenney on Aug. 4, previously served as the vice president of online, mobile and omnichannel for The Home Depot. Robbins, who is scheduled to join the company effective on Aug. 10, formerly served as the senior vice president of supply chain for Target.
"Mr. Amend and Mr. Robbins are two exceptional industry veterans who have a successful track record of creating enterprise inventory networks that enable brick-and-mortar and e-commerce to merge into one seamless shopping experience," JCPenney CEO Marvin Ellison said in a statement. "Their backgrounds perfectly align with our long-term growth plan to become a world-class omnichannel retailer."
Under Amend's leadership at The Home Depot, the company rolled out a host of omnichannel initiatives, which resulted in the company being named as the 2014 Internet Retailer of the Year by Internet Retailer. Prior to his position at The Home Depot, Amend served as the chief technology officer for global online at Dell and deputy chief technology officer for BEA Systems.
JCPenney officials believe Robbins' extensive experience in supply chain management will help lead to technological and process improvements within the company's supply chain strategy, as well as help generate significant cost reductions. Before spending 13 years at Target in a similar capacity, Robbins occupied marketing and supply chain positions at AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) and Procter & Gamble.
In January, the department store shut down 39 underperforming and laid off 2,250 in a cost-reduction measure. It came 12 months after the company shut down 33 underperforming stores and laid off an additional 2,000 employees. Ellison joined JCPenney as the company's CEO two months earlier after serving as an executive vice president at The Home Depot.
JCPenney shares inched up 0.03 to 8.20 in after-hours trading.