History
EARLY BEGINNINGS
1962 – The story of our company began in 1962 when Max Kohl opened the first Kohl’s Department Store in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
1978 - BATUS, Inc., the U.S. division of BAT Industries, (British American Tobacco) PLC, purchased an 80 percent stake in the Kohl’s Food and Department Stores and took complete control of the company.
1983 – BATUS sold Kohl’s Food Stores to Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P). A&P closed the Kohl’s food stores in 2003.
Mid 1980s - Kohl’s Department Stores’ emphasis on "value oriented," "bargain basement" marketing didn’t fit with BATUS’ other retail holdings. BATUS was unable to withstand increasing competitive pressures and began to sell off its retail holdings. By 1990, BATUS was out of retail all together.
PURCHASE BY KOHL'S MANAGEMENT
1987 – Kohl’s ranked 8th in Wisconsin’s top 100 privately owned companies.
1988 – Kohl's greatest growth to date came with the purchase of 26 Main Street stores from Federated Department Stores. This acquisition enabled Kohl’s to move into new markets in Michigan, Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
1988 - 1992 – Kohl's sales increased from $388 million to $1 billion.
EXPANSION IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
2000 – By 2000, Kohl's operated 298 stores in 25 states with 43,000 Associates. They targeted several new markets, entering the Northeast, including Connecticut, New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.
2001 – Kohl's entered the fast growing Atlanta market with 15 stores.
2002 – May 2002 marked Kohl's ten-year anniversary as a public company.
2003 – Kohl’s revenues were up a respectable 12.7 percent, surpassing $10 billion for the first time, net income fell for the first time in ten years, dropping 8.5 percent to $581 million. Same-store sales fell 1.6 percent.
RETURN TO TOP PERFORMANCE
2005 – Kohl's introduced their new positioning statement: expect great things and made significant strides in bringing the statement to life.
2006 – Kohl's opened 85 new stores, including their expansion into the Northwest with new stores in Oregon and Washington. They now operated in every region of the country.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
As history illustrates, Kohl’s is built on a strong and successful foundation. They have many more exciting opportunities ahead. That’s why you can continue to expect great things from Kohl’s!
1962 – The story of our company began in 1962 when Max Kohl opened the first Kohl’s Department Store in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
1978 - BATUS, Inc., the U.S. division of BAT Industries, (British American Tobacco) PLC, purchased an 80 percent stake in the Kohl’s Food and Department Stores and took complete control of the company.
1983 – BATUS sold Kohl’s Food Stores to Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P). A&P closed the Kohl’s food stores in 2003.
Mid 1980s - Kohl’s Department Stores’ emphasis on "value oriented," "bargain basement" marketing didn’t fit with BATUS’ other retail holdings. BATUS was unable to withstand increasing competitive pressures and began to sell off its retail holdings. By 1990, BATUS was out of retail all together.
PURCHASE BY KOHL'S MANAGEMENT
1987 – Kohl’s ranked 8th in Wisconsin’s top 100 privately owned companies.
1988 – Kohl's greatest growth to date came with the purchase of 26 Main Street stores from Federated Department Stores. This acquisition enabled Kohl’s to move into new markets in Michigan, Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
1988 - 1992 – Kohl's sales increased from $388 million to $1 billion.
EXPANSION IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
2000 – By 2000, Kohl's operated 298 stores in 25 states with 43,000 Associates. They targeted several new markets, entering the Northeast, including Connecticut, New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.
2001 – Kohl's entered the fast growing Atlanta market with 15 stores.
2002 – May 2002 marked Kohl's ten-year anniversary as a public company.
2003 – Kohl’s revenues were up a respectable 12.7 percent, surpassing $10 billion for the first time, net income fell for the first time in ten years, dropping 8.5 percent to $581 million. Same-store sales fell 1.6 percent.
RETURN TO TOP PERFORMANCE
2005 – Kohl's introduced their new positioning statement: expect great things and made significant strides in bringing the statement to life.
2006 – Kohl's opened 85 new stores, including their expansion into the Northwest with new stores in Oregon and Washington. They now operated in every region of the country.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
As history illustrates, Kohl’s is built on a strong and successful foundation. They have many more exciting opportunities ahead. That’s why you can continue to expect great things from Kohl’s!
