J.C. Penny is ending its longtime business relationship with home-maker guru, Martha Stewart, according to reports released Thursday.
J.C. Penny is reportedly dumping the Martha Stewart brand, on the heels of sluggish sales and failing to meet the retailer's expectations, according to the New York Post. Meanwhile, a judge is expected to rule in a lengthy court battle between J.C. Penney Co. and rival Macy's Inc. over whether Macy's has an exclusive right to sell some of her products.
Macy's had sued both J.C. Penney and Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, alleging an exclusive deal with Stewart bars her from forming partnerships with other retailers.
The New York Post reported Thursday that J.C. Penney Chief Executive Mike Ullman, who returned to the company to replace Ron Johnson, is now ready to do away with Martha Stewart's products.
J.C. Penny's former CEO Ron Johnson, who was ousted in April, signed a merchandising deal with Martha Stewart in late 2011 and touted it as a key part of his plan to reinvent the chain.
Earlier this year, Stewart, 72, reportedly delivered a blow to her rivals, including Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell, after including a clause in her deal with J.C. Penney that essentially banned them from working with the company.
"Martha is knifing some of the people that have offered her a lot of support over her career," a source told the Post's Page Six in March. "Rosie O'Donnell actually went to her trial to show public support, and has appeared several times on her talk show. Oprah Winfrey famously had Martha on her syndicated talk show post-jail, as a way of support, allowing Martha to promote her magazine and her products."
