US retailer Kohl's commits to retail footprint by investment in stores

“Kohl’s began with roots as a brick-and-mortar company, and these 60 years of experience have set the company up to become a leading omni-channel retailer,” said Mark Griepentrog, Kohl’s chief property officer. “Our strong and productive off-mall store base can continuously evolve with our customer’s expectations and demand, and we see substantial opportunities to leverage our real estate in producing long-term growth.”

Kohl’s is modernising its stores to provide customers with features that offer convenient services, opportunities for discovery and an overall inviting experience. By offering services such as in store pick up, drive-up, self-pick up, and Amazon Returns, Kohl’s is delivering the convenience customers expect from a retailer, and beyond.

By 2023, Sephora at Kohl’s will be introduced to 850 locations, reflecting a new and more modern Kohl’s. This modern Kohl’s includes the prominent position of Sephora at the front of the store with expanded categories in the surrounding areas such as active, as well as casual and exciting new brands like Draper James RSVP.

Further, Kohl’s is introducing dedicated zones for discovery which will inspire curations of cross-category products and brands including diverse and female-owned companies to meet the needs of customers seeking newness and inspiration. While Kohl’s is known for its iconic national brands and differentiated private brands, this initiative allows the company to leverage its leading omni-channel platform and invest in these emerging brands to curate destinations for discovery in its stores. Since the inception of Kohl’s emerging brand programme in 2019, the company has introduced over 70 new brands to its customers. By transforming the store flow, Kohl’s is creating a sense of discovery every time a customer walks in.

Kohl’s ongoing investments in technology across its physical footprint continue to deliver on future store experiences that benefit the customer. The company is rolling out self-serve buy online, pick up in store and by the end of the year; it will be available in all stores. Kohl’s is also continuing to test self-serve returns, currently in over 100 stores, with more planned throughout the next 18 months. The self-return experience is unique to Kohl’s, offering a simple in-store drop-off process. Additionally, self-checkout is being tested and will deliver a new kind of checkout experience for customers.

Kohl’s integration of store and digital technology enables the company to support enhanced discovery and easy shopability with new functionality being released continuously. Stores also play an integral role in fulfilling omni orders, with approximately 40 per cent of Kohl’s digital orders currently being fulfilled by stores. The integration allows Kohl’s to convert more customers to become omni-channel customers, and those who shop Kohl’s across channels are at least four times more productive than store-only or digital-only shoppers. The strength of store and digital integration allows Kohl’s to provide a world-class omni-channel experience.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)