J.C. Penney's new shops comparable sales extending overall store

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Comparable sales at J.C. Penney Co Inc's new shops within its stores, including those selling IZOD clothes and Levi's jeans, are running 20 percent higher than sales elsewhere in the stores, chief executive Ron Johnson told analysts on Wednesday.

In a presentation that was also webcast, Johnson conceded it was "way too early to draw conclusions" as the retailer has so far opened only 12 of the "stores-within-stores." Some of those have only been open for three weeks and the others have only been open for seven weeks.

J.C. Penney shares rose 8 percent to $31.45 on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.