Exhibit 99.1

                    JCPENNEY TO APPOINT MICHAEL T. THEILMANN
                 EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES
                           AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICER

      Theilmann to Oversee Key Element of Company's New Long-Term Strategy;
              Was Chief People Officer at Yum! Brands International

PLANO,  Texas,  May 9,  2005 -- J. C.  Penney  Company,  Inc.  (NYSE:JCP)  today
announced  that Michael T.  Theilmann  will join the company as  Executive  Vice
President,  Chief Human Resources and  Administration  Officer effective June 1.
Mr.  Theilmann,  41, joins JCPenney from Yum! Brands Inc.,  where he served most
recently as Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Chief People Officer of its
International  business,  which includes more than 11,000  restaurants in nearly
100 countries.  He will report to Chairman and Chief Executive  Officer Myron E.
(Mike) Ullman, III.

"A  centerpiece  of our recently  announced 2005 - 2009 Long Term Plan is making
JCPenney a great place to work," said Mr. UIlman. "From his experience and track
record,  Mike Theilmann well understands that ensuring associates are engaged in
their  work and that the right  people  are in place at all  levels  are keys to
connecting  with  customers  and  driving  profitable  growth.  Mike  brings  an
outstanding mix of intellect,  energy and  progressive  thinking to this crucial
function and we welcome him to our company."

Mr.  Theilmann  said,  "Over my past two  decades in the field,  I have seen the
clear benefits of having motivated associates who share a company's focus on how
to best serve customers.  JCPenney's heritage of commitment to its employees and
customers is well known,  and I look forward to working with the management team
to foster the  involvement of associates in making an emotional  connection with
customers and retaining and attracting the best talent in the retail industry."

Mr.  Theilmann will succeed Gary L. Davis,  62, who joined  JCPenney in 1964 and
has been the Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer since 1996. He was
elected Executive Vice President in 1998. Mr. Davis recently announced his plans
to retire after 41 years with the company.

Mr. Ullman added, "Gary Davis' career at JCPenney exemplifies what we would like
to see for all of our employees. Having started at the company as a trainee more
than 40 years ago, Gary managed two different  stores,  two different  districts
and was a Regional  President before joining the corporate  office. On behalf of
the company and our board, I would like to thank Gary for his dedicated  service
and great contributions to JCPenney."


About Michael Theilmann
Mr. Theilmann was at Yum Brands! and its predecessor PepsiCo since 1993, serving
in senior human resources  positions in large divisions including becoming VP of
Human Resources for its Europe operations in 2000 and his current role two years
later. The parent company to leading  restaurant chains including KFC, A&W, Long
John Silver's,  Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,  Yum! has 33,000  restaurants  and over
850,000  system  employees  around the world.  Widely  recognized as a leader in
customer  and  employee  satisfaction,  Yum!  was  named the #1 Place to Work in
Dallas  in 2003  and #2 in 2004 by The  Dallas  Business  Journal  and is one of
Fortune  Magazine's  "Most Admired  Companies" in America and "50 Best Companies
for Minorities".

Before joining Yum!, Mr.  Theilmann worked in Human Resources at Burger King and
Grand Metropolitan.  A graduate of Gustavas Adolphus College, Mr. Theilmann also
holds an MS in Physics from the University of Nebraska.  He lives in Dallas with
his wife Nancy and three children.


For further information, contact:

Investor Relations
Bob Johnson; (972) 431-2217; rvjohnso@jcpenney.com
Ed Merritt; (972) 431-8167; emerritt@jcpenney.com

Public Relations
Quinton Crenshaw; (972) 431-5581; qcrensha@jcpenney.com
Daphne Avila; (972) 431-4655; dcavila@jcpenney.com


About JCPenney

J. C. Penney Corporation,  Inc., the wholly owned operating  subsidiary of J. C.
Penney Company, Inc., is one of America's largest department store, catalog, and
e-commerce retailers,  employing  approximately 150,000 associates.  As of April
30, 2005, J. C. Penney  Corporation,  Inc.  operated 1,017  JCPenney  department
stores  throughout the United States and Puerto Rico,  and 62 Renner  department
stores in  Brazil.  JCPenney  catalog,  including  e-commerce,  is the  nation's
largest catalog merchant of general merchandise,  and jcpenney.com is one of the
largest  apparel  and home  furnishings  sites  on the  Internet.  J. C.  Penney
Corporation,  Inc. is a contributor to JCPenney  Afterschool  Fund, a charitable
organization  committed to  providing  children  with high  quality  afterschool
programs to help them reach their full potential.


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