J. Crew Arizona

J. Crew is an appareal and accessories brand that is engaged in offering a complete assortment of men’s and women’s apparel and accessories. Their product line includes wedding and special occasion attire, weekend clothes, swimwear, loungewear, outerwear, shoes, bags, belts, hair accessories and jewelry. The company offers its products in stores, through catalogues or by its website, www.jcrew.com. The company, which is headquartered in New York City, employs about 2,800 people.

This company began in 1983, when the first J. Crew catalog was launched. Since then, the business has expanded to an iconic American brand known worldwide for its sophisticated, fun clothing and accessories in which customers use for day-to-day activities, for work, play and even during marriage.

The first retail store opened in 1989 at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Since then, the company has expanded to 195 retail and 61 outlet stores across the country, and more openings were planned in 2007. The company website, www.jcrew.com, was launched in 1996 and allows customers to shop beyond the stores and catalogs, offering deeper assortments, colors, and size ranges.

The direct channel consists of the catalog and Internet website. This channel introduces and tests new product offerings, to sell specialty product lines such as J. Crew Collection and Wedding and to offer extended sizes and colors on various products and to expand customer files in order to drive targeted marketing campaigns by collecting customer data to further segment customer groups. The J.Crew catalog is the primary branding and advertising vehicle for the J.Crew brand. It reinforces the J.Crew brand image and drives sales across all of its sales channels. The company segments the customer files and tailor the catalog offerings to address the different product needs of the customer groups

Since its establishment, J. Crew has become an American brand known worldwide for its collections of classic styles with a J.Crew twist. In addition to its men's and women's clothing, accessories, and shoes, the company has a Wedding & Special Occasions shop through its website, and a high end J.Crew Collection available in select stores. Furthermore, in 2006, J.Crew launched a children's line called CrewCuts.

Currently, J.Crew's catalog has a circulation of over 80 million, and J.Crew has 175 retail stores and 52 outlet stores. There are two J.Crew distribution centers in the U.S., one in Lynchburg, Virginia, in which the facility also doubles as a call center for the whole U.S., and the other in Asheville, North Carolina. There are J.Crew stores in Japan, and J.Crew's website offers shipping to Canada and Japan, as well.

The years 2002 and 2003 brought a bit of management turmoil for the company: Mark Sarvary left in May 2002, and in August was replaced by former Gap executive Ken Pilot. Pilot, however, did not last long and was replaced the following January by another Gap executive, Millard "Micky" Drexler, who recruited yet another Gap exec, Jeff Pfeifle, to join him in efforts to strengthen the J. Crew brand the way he'd already successfully done at The Gap. However, as of February 1, 2008, Jeff Pfeifle will be leaving the company and noted that his responsibilities will be assumed by members of the executive team with no near term plan to fill his position.

Today, corporate and team leaders have set the industry standard for quality, design, and style by using the finest fabrics, craftsmen, and mills throughout Europe and the U.S. to create signature pieces, which include the J.Crew Legacy blazer, fine Italian cashmere sweaters, and famous broken-in chinos. Most importantly, J.Crew has renewed its passion for style and exceptional service as it moves toward an exciting future.

J. Crew also offers the J. Crew Card, a credit card for frequent customers. With this card, holders receive a $25 rewards card foe every $500 they spend using it. This is a way for the J. Crew Corporation to show appreciation for its frequent buyers. Customers can manage their account online, through the company website as well.

J. Crew competitors include: The Gap, Land’s End, L.L. Bean and Abercrombie and Fitch.