J.C. Penney to stop publishing ‘big book’ catalogs

PLANO, Texas—J.C. Penney will stop publishing its twice-yearly “big book” catalogs, now that customers increasingly shop online.

Instead, J.C. Penney Co. says it will publish specialty catalogs and focus its efforts online, on the Web site jcp.com and on social networks. In part, the company says it is responding to consumer habits to view catalogs more as “look books.“

The Plano, Texas, company will continue to publish its Christmas catalog and others, such as the “Little Red Book” for women’s apparel and “Matters of Style” for men.

Eliminating the hefty twice-a-year catalogs will cut the company’s paper use by 25 percent to 30 percent in 2010.