Chairman and CEO Marvin Ellison said on the company’s Q3 earnings conference call that J.C. Penney took “the bold but necessary step” to liquidate apparel inventory in an effort to accelerate a wider transformation of the women’s department. Following this reset, Ellison said the retailer saw improved performance in the women’s division, “confirming these actions were necessary to drive growth in this high-volume apparel division.” Ellison noted that women’s apparel delivered a positive comp for the month of October “even when you remove the benefits of the accelerated clearance sales.” “At this stage of our turnaround, we are committed to making decisions that benefit the long-term financial health of the company,” Ellison said. Appliance sales more than doubled versus Q3 of last year, he added. J.C. Penney is up nearly 15% in premarket trading.