Company type | Public |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | September 12, 1962Brookfield, Wisconsin, U.S. | , in
Founder | Maxwell Kohl |
Headquarters | Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Number of locations | 1,174 (Feb. 2024)[1] |
Key people | Tom Kingsbury (CEO & director) |
Products | Clothing, footwear, jewelry, accessories, beauty products, furniture, decor, bedding, bath, toys, books, appliances, electronics, and housewares. |
Website | www |
Kohl's (stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. It currently has 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwell Kohl, who opened a corner grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927.[2][3] It went on to become a successful chain in the local area, and in 1962 the company branched out by opening its first department store.[4] British American Tobacco Company took a controlling interest in the company in 1972 while still managed by the Kohl Family, and in 1979, the corporation was sold to BATUS Inc. A group of investors purchased the company in 1986 from British American Tobacco and took it public in 1992.
Kohl's is headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.[5] It became the largest department store chain in the United States in May 2012, surpassing its competitor JCPenney.[6] The company is listed on both the S&P 400 and the Fortune 500.[7] In terms of revenue, the chain was the 23rd-largest retailer in the United States in 2019.[8]
As of February 2023, the CEO of Kohl's was Tom Kingsbury, who accepted the position after serving on an interim basis since December 2022. He replaced Michelle Gass once she took a position with Levi Strauss.[2] In November 2024, the company announced a CEO transition with Ashley Buchanan replacing Tom Kingsbury starting January 15, 2025.[9]