Dive Brief:

• J.C. Penney Thursday began bringing back the less expensive, less trendy home goods that former CEO Ron Johnson had swept away in his own, failed effort to take the retailer upmarket.

• The company is taking back space for basics like sheets and towels and its in-house brands, and is lowering prices.

• The move is a substantial part of the swift, strong turnaround that off-again, on-again CEO Myron E. Ullman is attempting.

Dive Insight:

J.C. Penney’s home goods department was once a dependably profitable part of its business, something that was tossed out by Ron Johnson’s own attempt to save the faltering retailer. That makes the current effort especially important. Johnson wanted to make the company a little more upmarket and trendy and raised prices, which alarmed Penney's thrifty customers. Whether he simply did it all too swiftly or he shouldn’t have done it at all is a matter of debate, but Ullman is finding some success in J.C. Penney’s turnaround by undoing most of Johnson’s vision. Sales are improving and a few observers are encouraged, but the jury’s still out.