Kohl's facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Public | |
| Traded as |
|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | September 12, 1962 in Brookfield, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Founder | Maxwell Kohl |
| Headquarters | Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S. |
|
Number of locations
|
1,174 (As of Feb. 3, 2024) |
|
Key people
|
Tom Kingsbury (CEO & Director) |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, jewelry, beauty products, furniture, decor, bedding, bath, toys, books, appliances, electronics, and housewares. |
| Revenue |  US$17.47 billion (2023) |
|
Operating income
|
US$717 million (2023) |
| US$317 million (2023) |
|
| Total assets | US$14 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | US$3.89 billion (2023) |
|
Number of employees
|
~97,000 (2022) |
Kohl's is a large American department store chain. It is run by Kohl's Corporation. They have over 1,100 stores across almost all U.S. states.
The company was started by Maxwell Kohl, a Polish immigrant. He opened a small grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927. His grocery stores became very popular. In 1962, he opened the first Kohl's department store.
Later, a company called British American Tobacco bought a big part of Kohl's in 1972. The Kohl family still helped run it for a while. In 1986, a group of investors bought Kohl's. It became a "public company" in 1992. This means its shares could be bought and sold by anyone.
Kohl's main office is in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. In 2012, Kohl's became the largest department store chain in the U.S. It even became bigger than its competitor, J. C. Penney. Kohl's is also listed on the Fortune 500. This is a list of the 500 largest companies in the United States.
As of early 2023, Tom Kingsbury is the CEO of Kohl's. He took over after Michelle Gass moved to another company.
Contents
Kohl's History and Growth
Maxwell Kohl had been running grocery stores since 1927. In 1946, he opened his first supermarket. This became a chain of stores called Kohl's Food Stores in Wisconsin. In September 1962, after his grocery stores became very successful, Kohl opened his first department store. It was in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He wanted Kohl's to be a store that was not too fancy or too cheap. It sold many different things, from candy to sports gear.
In 1972, a company called Batus Inc. bought a major part of Kohl's Corporation. At that time, Kohl's had 50 grocery stores, six department stores, and other stores. The Kohl family, including Allen Kohl and Herb Kohl, continued to manage the company. Herb Kohl later became a U.S. Senator.
Kohl's then grew from 10 stores to 39 stores. These stores were in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The grocery stores were sold in 1983. They were later closed in 2003.
Becoming a Public Company
In 1986, a group of investors bought Kohl's. They added 27 more stores in the next two years. In 1988, Kohl's bought 26 stores from another retailer called MainStreet. This helped Kohl's open stores in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Michigan.
Kohl's officially became a public company on May 19, 1992. Its shares started trading on the New York Stock Exchange. This meant that people could buy and sell parts of the company.
During the 2000s, Kohl's grew across the United States. In 1992, they had 76 stores in the Midwest. By 2000, they expanded into the New York area. They also opened stores in California in 2003 and the Pacific Northwest in 2006. Between 2005 and 2008, they opened 43 new stores in the Southeast.
To help pay for new stores, Kohl's sold its credit card part of the business in 2006. Later, in 2011, they changed partners for their credit card services. In 2016, Kohl's launched Kohl's Pay. This was a new way to pay using their app. It combined their credit card, rewards, and coupons into one easy payment. Kohl's also became the first store to include its credit card and rewards with Apple Pay.
Kohl's and the Environment
In 2009, Kohl's hired an advertising agency to make its brand stronger. That same year, Newsweek magazine ranked Kohl's very high in its "Green Rankings." This ranking looked at how environmentally friendly large companies were.
Newsweek noted that Kohl's had the biggest solar power program of any retailer in the world. They also build stores using green building standards. Over 78 Kohl's stores in six states have solar panels. Kohl's also started selling reusable shopping bags.
New Ideas and Partnerships
In 2015, Kohl's tried a new store idea called Off/Aisle. These stores sold like-new clothing and home items that had been returned to Kohl's. They sold these items at lower prices. However, these Off/Aisle stores were closed in 2019.
In 2017, Kohl's started working with Amazon. Some Kohl's stores began accepting Amazon returns. This program was expanded across the country in 2019. In 2018, Kohl's also started a test program to rent space in their stores to other businesses. They rented space to the grocery store Aldi and the fitness center Planet Fitness.
In 2022, there were talks about other companies wanting to buy Kohl's. However, Kohl's decided not to sell. This was because the economy was changing, and people were spending less money.
In 2024, Kohl's made a deal with Babies R Us. This means Kohl's stores will start selling baby supplies, furniture, and popular baby brands like Graco and Fisher-Price.
Brands and Store Layout
Kohl's sells many different brands. Some of these are special collections from famous designers like Vera Wang and Narciso Rodriguez. Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Tony Hawk also have their own clothing lines sold only at Kohl's.
Kohl's has its own brands too. These are called "private brands." They make up almost half of Kohl's yearly sales. Some of these clothing brands include Apt. 9, Croft & Barrow, and Tek Gear. The Sonoma Goods for Life brand, which sells clothes and home items, is worth over a billion dollars. Kohl's has also bought the rights to sell other popular brands like Candie's and Mudd Jeans.
In 2021, Kohl's partnered with the makeup store Sephora. Now, some Kohl's locations have Sephora stores inside them. This helps Kohl's offer a wider range of beauty products.
Kohl's stores often use a "racetrack" layout. This means there is one main aisle that goes around the entire store. This layout is often used by discount stores to make it easy for shoppers to find things.
