Kohl's
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Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: [KSS]
History
Max Kohl built a grocery store in 1946, the first in what would become a southeastern Wisconsin chain known as Kohl's Food Stores. [link] In 1962, he started the first department store, also called Kohl's.In 1972 the British-American Tobacco Company bought the department stores and grocery stores. The Kohl family, led by Allen and Herb Kohl, stayed on to manage the company. The family left the management in 1979, and Herb Kohl went on to become a United States Senator and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. This firm expanded Kohl's presence from 10 to 39 stores in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. The grocery stores were eventually sold to A&P in 1983, but the last of them were later closed in 2003.
A group of investors, including the senior management, purchased the company in 1986, and the company added 27 more stores in the next two years. In 1992, the company went public and a period of expansion began. Kohl's entered mid-Atlantic markets in 1997 (opening in many former locations of Clover [an offshoot of the Strawbridge's corporation] brand department stores in the Philadelphia region); Texas and Missouri in 1999; Georgia and the Southeast in 2001; New England in 2002; California and the Southwest in 2003; and the Northwest in 2006.
The chain's expansion has mainly focused on the middle of the country; however, they recently expanded into the Rochester and Buffalo markets in Western New York. As of April 2005, the company is opening stores in Florida and other Southern states.
Kohl's mission, as stated in store and online, is to be the leading value-oriented, family-focused, specialty department store. Kohl's is known for giving great customer service, through its "Yes We Can" policy.
The company entered the S&P 500 list in 1998 and is also listed in the Fortune 500.
Locations
Many locations are in enclosed shopping malls. The newer stores are often built in smaller shopping centers around larger, enclosed centers. Some locations, like certain Texas stores, are located far away from traditional malls and are free-standing.
Kohl’s operates differently from traditional department stores. The most noticeable distinction between Kohl's and traditional department stores is that all Kohl's stores have centralized checkout aisles. This has led many observers to consider Kohl's a hybrid of a department store and a mass merchandiser.
Merchandise
Kohl's features virtually the same merchandise mix as traditional department stores. The stores sell a variety of goods, such as apparel, shoes, and accessories for women, children and men, also home products such as small electronics, bedding, and luggage.Online shopping
The company has had a World Wide Web presence since 1998 [link] and offered online shopping since the year 2000.External links
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