Kohl's
| File:Kohl's logo.svg Logo used since 2015 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (department store) |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Founder | Maxwell Kohl |
| Headquarters | Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin , United States |
Area served | United States (excluding Hawaii) |
Key people | Michael Bender (Acting CEO, 2025) |
| Products | Apparel, footwear, jewelry, cosmetics, furniture, home furnishings, bedding, bath products, toys, books, appliances, electronics, pet supplies, household goods |
| Website | www |
KOHL'S CORPORATION (presented in all capital letters) is a prominent American department store chain operating 1,174 outlets throughout the United States, excluding Hawaii. The enterprise traces its origins to Maxwell Kohl, a Polish immigrant who inaugurated a corner grocery shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927. The company evolved to establish its inaugural department store in 1962. British American Tobacco acquired a majority stake in 1972 before transferring ownership to BATUS Inc. in 1979. In 1986, a consortium of investors took control of Kohl's and subsequently took the company public in 1992.
With headquarters located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Kohl's surpassed JCPenney in May 2012 to become the largest U.S. department store chain by revenue. The corporation is listed on the S&P 400 and was ranked among the Fortune 500 as the 23rd-largest U.S. retailer by revenue in 2019.
As of May 2025, Michael Bender holds the position of Acting CEO following the termination of Ashley Buchanan after less than five months in office. Prior to this, Tom Kingsbury served as CEO from 2022 until early 2025, succeeding Michelle Gass.
Kohl's offers a diverse range of merchandise including apparel, footwear, jewelry, cosmetics, furniture, home furnishings, bedding, bath products, toys, books, appliances, electronics, pet supplies, and household goods. The company’s growth strategy emphasizes increasing market penetration through extensive product variety and a widespread national footprint.
Financial results for 2025 indicate revenues amounting to US$16.2 billion with operating income of US$509 million and net earnings of US$109 million. The organization sustains its competitive edge through comprehensive global operations coupled with strategic leadership from its executive team.
History
Maxwell Kohl began his retail journey with grocery operations dating back to 1927 and launched his first supermarket in 1946, which would develop into Kohl's Food Stores throughout southeastern Wisconsin. By 1962, following expansion of his grocery enterprise, he established the first Kohl's department store in Brookfield, Wisconsin, positioning it strategically between luxury and discount retailers with an extensive product assortment.
In 1972, British American Tobacco’s U.S.-based retail arm Batus Inc. acquired controlling interest in Kohl's Corporation, which then operated around 50 grocery outlets alongside several department stores as well as drug and liquor stores. The Kohl family continued managing the business until Herb Kohl departed in 1979 to pursue political ambitions and sports franchise ownership. By that time, the company had grown to operate 39 department stores across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The grocery segment was sold to A&P in 1983; A&P maintained operations under the Kohl’s Food Store brand until closing them by 2003.
An investor group led by senior management purchased Kohl's in 1986. Expansion accelerated from roughly 40 stores to over 100 following acquisition of 26 MainStreet locations across Chicago suburbs, Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, and Michigan in 1988. Kohl’s went public on May 19, 1992, debuting on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol KSS.
Throughout the early 2000s, Kohl’s expanded across nearly all states except Hawaii. Starting from a Midwest base of 76 stores in 1992, it entered the New York metropolitan market in 2000 after Caldor’s liquidation. Growth proceeded into Texas and California with an additional 28 stores opening by 2003; further expansion included ten stores in the Pacific Northwest by 2006 and forty-three new locations across the Southeast between 2005 and 2008. To finance share buybacks and new store development, Kohl’s divested its credit card division to J.P. Morgan Chase for $1.5 billion in 2006; Capital One later replaced Chase as credit card processor in 2011. In 2016, Kohl’s introduced Kohl’s Pay—a mobile payment system integrating its proprietary credit card and rewards program—utilizing technology from Silicon Valley startup Omnyway. That same year marked Kohl’s as the first retailer to incorporate its card and loyalty rewards within Apple Pay.
In an effort to reinforce brand identity nationally, Kohl’s engaged New York-based advertising agency DeVito/Verdi in 2009 for marketing campaigns. That year Newsweek recognized Kohl’s as leading among retailers for environmental stewardship due to its extensive solar energy initiatives and green building certifications.
Kohl’s received $62.5 million in tax incentives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation in 2012 aimed at job creation but did not meet all targeted goals. Plans for constructing a new headquarters supported by municipal funding were ultimately abandoned.
In 2015, Kohl’s experimented with Off/Aisle stores focused on selling discounted returned merchandise; however, these outlets were discontinued by 2019.
The company faced notable stock fluctuations; shares plunged by 19% on a single day in January 2017—the largest drop recorded according to The Wall Street Journal. Ranked number 157 on the Fortune 500 list in 2018 with $19 billion revenue, Kohl’s partnered with Amazon by accepting returns at its locations nationwide by early 2019. Additionally, it piloted leasing store space to grocer Aldi and fitness operator Planet Fitness.
In March 2022, acquisition interest from Hudson’s Bay Company and Sycamore Partners triggered a surge in share price; subsequently Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management also submitted bids. Franchise Group contemplated an offer involving real estate sales but withdrew following reduced bids amid weakened consumer spending influenced by inflationary pressures.
Despite experiencing twelve quarters of consecutive declines in furniture and home goods sales through early 2024 (including a February drop of 6.3%), Kohl’s planned to expand its home merchandise category by approximately forty percent by March that year. Furthermore, it secured an agreement with Babies R Us to introduce baby product lines such as Graco and Carter’s into roughly two hundred stores during 2024.
Brands and store layout
Kohl's offers diffusion collections from renowned designers such as Dana Buchman, Vera Wang, Narciso Rodriguez, and Peter Som. The retailer has also collaborated with celebrities to create exclusive apparel lines, featuring names like Avril Lavigne, Lauren Conrad, Daisy Fuentes, Paula DeAnda, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Marc Anthony, and Tony Hawk.
Nearly 50% of Kohl's annual revenue, totaling $19 billion, is generated through its private label brands. Prominent proprietary lines include American Beauty, Apt. 9, Croft & Barrow, Jumping Beans, So, Tek Gear, and Urban Pipeline. The Sonoma Goods for Life brand, which encompasses both clothing and home products, boasts a valuation exceeding one billion dollars and underwent a relaunch in 2016. Additionally, Kohl’s retains exclusive retail rights for brands such as Candie's and Mudd Jeans.
In 2021, Kohl’s formed a partnership with makeup retailer Sephora to introduce Sephora sections inside selected stores, replacing Kohl’s own beauty product offerings. By 2024, the beauty line Haus Labs by Lady Gaga was added to the Sephora at Kohl’s collection.
The store layout at Kohl’s follows a "racetrack" design, characterized by a single aisle that loops throughout the entire space. This format, inspired by discount store configurations, aims to improve shopper circulation and maximize product visibility.