STEVE INSKEEP, Host: NPR's Brett Neely reports on other measures the company is taking to find its footing in a crowded retail environment.</s>BRETT NEELY: J.C. Penney has been printing a catalog since 1963. At one point in time, Penney's catalog business had billions of dollars a year in sales. But as shoppers have migrated online, retail analyst Patty Edwards says those catalogs are now weighing down the company.</s>M: The cost of sending the catalogs - it just doesn't make sense when you can do it so much more efficiently on the Web.</s>BRETT NEELY: J.C. Penney wouldn't say how many employees it was laying off. It's also closing a small number of its poorest-performing stores and its entire outlet business. Even through the worst of the recession, Penney has stayed profitable. But Edwards says it has to watch its back.</s>M: Frankly, J.C. Penney has slowed, and has been left behind, by some of the more nimble, newer players that have gone to a more national stage.</s>BRETT NEELY: Brett Neely, NPR News.
J.C. Penney shares rose on news the giant retailer plans to close about 25 "underperforming" stores and wind down its catalog business. The company is struggling to boost profits amid stiff competition.