Top Consumer Companies For 2014

When sales don't work, there's always begging -- at least that's what J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) seems to think with a new advertising campaign that pleads with shoppers to return to the department store.

Although I think former CEO Ron Johnson's idea to go with an everyday-low-pricing strategy wasn't a bad one, the outcome was disastrous. Shoppers fled to rivals Macy's�and Kohl's,�and Penney's earnings were a disaster as it lost $985 million in 2012.

The strategy shift was based on the premise that consumers were smart enough to see through the shenanigans of raising prices only to lower them for a "sale." Johnson thought shoppers would prefer being able to shop anytime in his store and get a low price every day. He was wrong.

So Johnson was unceremoniously ousted and Penney is back to playing the same game as everyone else. Now it's offering up a cloying mea culpa of sorts to customers: We changed, you didn't like it, so we changed back -- please, please, please come back to us!

Top Consumer Companies For 2014: Medley Capital Corporation (MCC)

Medley Capital Corporation is a business development company. The fund seeks to invest in privately negotiated debt and equity securities of small and middle market companies. It targets private debt transactions ranging in size from $10 million to $50 million to borrowers principally located in North America. It structures its investments as first lien senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loans, senior secured notes, senior subordinated notes, unitranche loans, and seeks warrants or other equity participation. The fund may take a board seat on its investee companies and exits its investments between three years and seven years.

Top Consumer Companies For 2014: Everest Re Group Ltd.(RE)

Everest Re Group, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, underwrites reinsurance and insurance in the United States (the U.S.), Bermuda, and international markets. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Reinsurance, U.S. Insurance, Specialty Underwriting, International, and Bermuda. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies within the United States. The U.S. Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance primarily through general agents, brokers, and surplus lines brokers in the U.S. The Specialty Underwriting segment writes accident and health, marine, aviation, and surety business within the U.S. and worldwide through brokers and directly with ceding companies. The International segment offers non-U.S. property and casualty reinsurance. The Bermuda segment provides reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and cas ualty markets and reinsurance to life insurers through brokers and directly with ceding companies, as well as offers reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.

5 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Imris Inc He Company] (IM.TO)

IMRIS Inc. provides integrated image guided therapy solutions that deliver information to clinicians during surgical or interventional procedures in Canada, the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The company designs, manufactures, and markets VISIUS Surgical Theatre, a multifunctional surgical environment that incorporates magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, CT imaging, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, and x-ray angiography into multi-purpose surgical suites to provide intra-operative imaging for medical applications. It also provides ancillary products and services. The company�s solutions serve the neurosurgical, cerebrovascular, and cardiovascular markets worldwide. IMRIS Inc. is based in Winnipeg, Canada.