Francis is famous for transforming Target’s image through advertising, and was poached by Penney’s last October to start a new merchandising and marketing campaign. Francis turned Target into “the nation’s leading upscale discount store.” Last fall, JCP also acquired their present CEO Ron Johnson from Apple. Since Francis’ departure, Johnson announced that he would assume direct responsibility and oversight over Francis’ previous duties, merchandise and marketing. As of January 28, 2012, Penney’s had 1,102 department stores in 49 states and 49 in Puerto Rico.
David Cornes has a degree in economics from the University of Montana.