TRIADELPHIA – J.C. Penney Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest department store retailers, is offering shoppers an easy and exciting way to experience style and quality at smart prices with the grand opening of the J.C. Penney store located at 515 Cabela Drive at The Highlands.

The official grand opening for the new Triadelphia J.C. Penney took place Friday, marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony at the store’s main entrance at 8:45 a.m. The store is among seven J.C. Penney stores celebrating grand openings on the same day nationwide as the company continues toward its goal to open 250 new stores through 2011.

“We look forward to being a part of this beautiful and vibrant community,” said Eileen Walker, J.C. Penney store manager. “With the store’s convenient design, great merchandise assortment, and exceptional team of associates, we will provide a compelling shopping experience for our customers.”

The new J.C. Penney store, covering 103,000 square feet, offers wide aisles and convenient checkout centers, helping shoppers easily locate major brands such as The Original Arizona Jean Company, Chris Madden, Liz & Co., Ambrielle, SouthPole, Worthington, Stafford, Bisou-Bisou, Carter’s, Nike, Concepts by Claiborne and more.

For added convenience, J.C. Penney at The Highlands provides an assortment of services under one roof, including an all-occasion portrait studio, optical center, expert in-home custom decorating services and a full-service salon offering an array of professional hair and beauty services, as well as products from leading salon-exclusive brands. In addition, customers can place orders or pick up catalog and Internet purchases at the store’s Solutions desk.

As part of the grand opening celebration, the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund will contribute grants to the YMCA of Wheeling that will allow three local children to participate in the club’s afterschool programs during the school year. Additionally, J.C. Penney will provide each child selected to receive a grant with a J.C. Penney gift card for school apparel.

The J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to providing children in need with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that foster their academic, physical and social development. Currently, more than 14 million youth in America are unsupervised every day between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Through partnerships with the YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National 4-H and United Way of America, the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund helps prepare children to reach their full potential by providing them with essential afterschool opportunities.

Grand opening activities include product demonstrations and special discounts for the entire family. Throughout grand opening week, customers can register to win great prizes, including a $1,000 J.C. Penney gift card, as well as $100 gift cards — 50 in all — to be used toward any J.C. Penney purchase. The sweepstakes runs through Saturday in select states only, is open to those 18 years or older, and no purchase is necessary. For complete rules, go to jcpnewstores.com.

J.C. Penney, celebrating 105 years of serving America, has proudly served West Virginia shoppers since 1921. The new store will contribute approximately 175 jobs to Triadelphia’s economy. J.C. Penney at The Highlands will operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

J.C. Penney is one of America’s leading retailers, operating 1,064 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation’s largest general merchandise catalog business.

Through these integrated channels, J.C. Penney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the company’s commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as “JCP” on the New York Stock Exchange, the company posted revenue of $19.9 billion in 2006 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry.

Key to this strategy is J.C. Penney’s “Every Day Matters” brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the company’s 155,000 associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with J.C. Penney.