At Home Group moves in just as JC Penney moves out

New York

WHEN JC Penney Co announced this month that it would shut 40 US stores, At Home Group Inc saw an opening.

Executives at the retail chain - which sells home decor in warehouses and other large spaces - checked the list of targeted stores and called JC Penney within a few hours to express interest in buying some of them. It helps that At Home had already researched JC Penney's more than 1,000 US locations ahead of time, just as a shopper would gear up for a big sale.