Kohl's
US omnichannel retailer with marketplace, loyalty and retail media operations.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- Kohl's Corporation
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 1962
- Headquarters
- United States
- Company size
- >5,000
- Market role
- Retailer & Marketplace
- Ticker
- KSS
- Official website
- kohls.com
What Kohl's does
Kohl's buys, merchandises and sells branded and private-label consumer goods through stores and proprietary digital commerce channels. Its marketplace model adds third-party merchant assortment without Kohl's holding all inventory, while maintaining loyalty and in-store return integration. Kohl's Media Network converts proprietary shopper audiences, owned media inventory and transaction data into advertising and measurement services for commercial partners.
Category differentiation
Kohl's is a US department-store retailer and corporate parent, not solely Kohl's Media Network or a standalone retail-media technology vendor. Kohl's Media Network is an in-house business operated by Kohl's Corporation.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
Kohl's Corporation is a US omnichannel department-store retailer selling moderately priced proprietary and national-brand apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and home merchandise through 1,153 physical stores, Kohls.com and its mobile app. Its principal revenue stream is merchandise sales. The company also operates an online third-party marketplace that broadens assortment while merchants ship selected orders directly to customers. Kohl's monetises its first-party shopper relationships beyond retail sales through Kohl's Media Network, its in-house retail-media business. The network sells sponsored listings and omnichannel advertising inventory to brands, vendors, agencies and marketplace sellers, using Kohl's shopper data, loyalty programme and closed-loop sales reporting. Kohl's Rewards, Kohl's Cash and Kohl's Card incentives support repeat purchasing and customer retention.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
Kohl’s reported Q2 fiscal 2026 net sales of $3.3 billion, down less than 1% year-over-year, alongside a 4% decline in Sephora shop-in-shop sales. To improve performance, the retailer is expanding its home assortment with upcoming Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay kitchen collections and accelerating back-to-school promotional campaigns. Furthermore, Kohl’s continues to leverage its Google-backed AI shopping assistant to enhance digital product discovery and customer support.
Business model & monetisation
Merchandise sales across stores, Kohls.com and the mobile app are Kohl's primary monetisation mechanism. Marketplace activity generates commercial value through third-party seller participation and expanded digital assortment, although public materials do not disclose commission or subscription rates. Kohl's Media Network sells sponsored product placements, brand pages, email, app, off-site display, video, paid social, streaming audio and in-store media. Other revenue includes Kohl's Card-related income, while loyalty incentives drive retention and basket frequency rather than direct membership fees.
- Merchandise sales through stores and owned digital commerce
- Retail Margin
- Kohl's Media Network advertising inventory and measurement
- Media Arbitrage
- Marketplace merchant participation
- Percentage Take-Rate
- Kohl's Card-related revenue and other revenue
- Service Fee
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Products & market categories
Competitors & alternatives
- Walmart
Omnichannel retailer with marketplace, membership, B2B procurement and retail media.
Side-by-side comparisons
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
Macy's Rolls Out AI Inventory Replenishment Tool
Retail Supply Chain Technology · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Macy's Inc. is expanding an artificial intelligence forecast overlay to its inventory replenishment operations, moving from pilot to broader implementation, according to its September 10 earnings call. The initiative aims to improve in-stock levels and drive inventory efficiencies by ensuring the right product is in the right place at the right time. COO and CFO Tom Edwards highlighted that supply chain efficiencies are expected in the second half of 2026, benefiting gross margin. This rollout is part of Macy's 'Bold New Chapter' transformation plan launched in 2024, expected to generate $235 million in savings by 2026. The company enters the fall season in a good inventory position, with inventory up 2.5% in Q2, aligned with sales growth. Other retailers like Target, Lowe's, and Kohl's are also optimizing inventory management with AI and other technologies.
- Macy's is rolling out an AI forecast overlay for inventory replenishment, moving from pilot to broader implementation.
- The AI capability aims to improve in-stock levels and inventory efficiencies.
Kohl's expands Babies R Us shops as Sephora sales dip
Retail Media · Recorded impact score: 1/5
Kohl's is expanding its partnership with Babies R Us, adding shop-in-shops to 56 more stores and introducing an exclusive collection of baby essentials. The move comes as Sephora at Kohl's, previously a key traffic driver, experiences declining sales, down 4% in Q2 after a low-single-digit drop in Q1. The expansion includes new categories like gifting options under $25, Millie Moon diapers, and Hallmark gift sets. This strategic shift highlights Kohl's efforts to diversify its offerings and boost in-store traffic, which has been challenged but is showing signs of recovery.
- Kohl's is expanding Babies R Us shop-in-shops to 56 additional stores.
- Kohl's is launching an exclusive collection of bibs, blankets, and crib sheets under the Babies R Us brand.
Kohl's Expands Home Line with Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay
Retailer & Marketplace · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Kohl’s announced new kitchen products from Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay as part of a wider effort to grow its home assortment. The Martha Stewart lineup will include core kitchen electrics such as mixers, griddles, slow cookers and milk frothers and will expand into home fragrance with a candle collection. Beginning in September, the Bobby Flay collection will add stainless steel and ceramic cookware sets plus individual frying pans. The article also notes Kohl’s broader merchandising moves, including earlier integrations of MAC Cosmetics and YSL Beauty into Sephora at Kohl’s locations and recent SO brand updates.
- Kohl’s announced new kitchen appliances from Martha Stewart and cookware from Bobby Flay.
- The Martha Stewart lineup includes mixers, griddles, slow cookers, milk frothers and a new candle collection.
Sephora Decline Pressures Kohl's Q2 Sales
Financials · Recorded impact score: 4/5
Kohl’s reported Q2 fiscal 2026 results showing net sales of $3.3 billion, down less than 1% year-over-year, while Sephora shop-in-shop sales at Kohl’s fell 4% for a second consecutive quarter. Gross margin expanded 305 basis points to 43%, aided by about $150 million in tariff refunds; net income was $151 million (down just over 1%). Kohl’s raised its full-year guidance to expect net and comparable sales to be flat to down as much as 1.5% (previously flat to down 2%), and expects adjusted operating margin of 3.5%–4.0%. Kohl’s CEO Michael Bender attributed the Sephora softness to a lack of fresh SKUs and category weakness in skincare. Fitch Ratings and other research firms note Sephora at Kohl’s had contributed roughly 10% of Kohl’s topline, and Kohl’s and Sephora plan assortment and merchandising expansions for the holiday season.
- Kohl’s Q2 net sales: $3.3 billion, down less than 1% year-over-year.
- Sephora at Kohl’s sales fell 4% in Q2, the second straight quarterly decline.
Kohl's launches another back-to-school deals promotion
Retail promotions / Back-to-school merchandising · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Kohl’s launched a new set of back-to-school promotions on Aug. 19, 2026, cutting prices up to 50% across school supplies, apparel and beauty items and offering $10 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent, plus a weekend giveaway of $5–$100 in Kohl’s Cash while supplies last. The retailer earlier promoted “thousands of products under $25” for the season. Placer.ai data cited in the story shows Q2 store visits fell 1.4% year-over-year (improving from a near-8% decline in Q1). Analysts and market research firms (Morgan Stanley, Circana, NRF) offer mixed outlooks for the back-to-school season, with NRF forecasting nearly 10% sales growth to $43.3 billion but some firms urging caution.
- Kohl’s launched a new back-to-school promotion on Aug. 19, 2026.
- Kohl’s said it is cutting prices as much as 50% on school supplies, apparel and beauty items and previously advertised thousands of products under $25.
Explore company relationships
Questions about Kohl's
What is Kohl's?
Kohl's is a US public omnichannel department-store retailer operating stores, Kohls.com, a mobile app, marketplace, loyalty programme and retail-media business.
Who uses Kohl's?
Consumers use Kohl's to buy apparel, beauty, home and related merchandise; brands, vendors, agencies and sellers use its media network and marketplace services.
How does Kohl's make money?
Kohl's primarily earns retail margin from merchandise sales, supplemented by credit-related income, marketplace participation and retail-media advertising.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
21 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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