We went to a Kohl's store and saw how it's bucking the trend of dying department stores and malls

Jessica Tyler,Jessica Tyler

Mar 14, 2018, 20:33 IST

We went to a Kohl's store and saw how it's bucking the trend of dying department stores and malls

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

The electronics department at Kohl's in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Despite the recent struggles of mall-based department stores like Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney, Kohl's has seen some success.
One reason for this is that nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are located in suburban strip malls, away from enclosed shopping malls.
Kohl's has also made an effort to partner with retailers like Amazon and Aldi.

While thousands of mall-based stores close across America, Kohl's is thriving.

The retailer's same-store sales surged in the critical holiday period, making bigger gains than some of its rivals, including Macy's.

In large part, this is because nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are one-level stores in suburban strip malls rather than shopping malls. This makes the retailer less likely to be affected by the declining foot traffic that has hurt malls and the retailers that depend on them, like Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney, which have all announced store closures in recent years.

On top of that, many Kohl's stores are actually shrinking as opposed to closing down completely. The company has also recently introduced initiatives like adding Aldi grocery stores to test locations, carrying more national brands like Adidas, and becoming a return center for Amazon purchases at select locations.

I visited a Kohl's store in Jersey City, New Jersey, to see in person what the company is doing to defy the retail apocalypse. Here's what I found:

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This particular Kohl's store was in a shopping mall, but most are in strip malls or are stand-alone stores. According to the company, nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are located away from enclosed malls.

The store was really bright and open, and it was super clean, too. Something that stood out throughout the store is that all of the displays were intact, and everything was very neatly arranged.

The display closest to the entrance showed a huge selection of men's suits. Just about everything in the store seemed to be either on sale or clearance.

The digital sale signs listed how the regular and sale prices would compare for a range of different items. For example, this sign showed what a 10% discount would equate to for items costing between $20 and $70. This would potentially make keeping track of what you're spending a lot easier — before you get to the register.

The suits led into a huge clearance section, which was one of many throughout the store. It had tons of clothes in all different styles and sizes, from 60% to 80% off the original price.

Adidas and Nike displays were next to the clearance section, and a lot of the displays here had sale signs as well. Kohl's has put a special focus on bringing more national brands to stores.

The women's accessories section was nearby. It was a small department, but it had a relatively large selection of handbags, scarves, belts, and sunglasses.

Like the clothes, most of the accessories were on sale.

The makeup department was smaller than at most department stores, but it still carried a variety of brands for a range of prices.

The women's section of the store was huge, and it had a lot of different brands, sizes, and styles. One perk was that instead of having everything spread out throughout the store, it was all in one area.

The store carried national brands like Columbia at discounted prices, but it also carried items from its private-label brand, Sonoma. Kohl's has made it a priority to speed up production time for its private-label brands.

The store carried national brands like Columbia at discounted prices, but it also carried items from its private-label brand, Sonoma. Kohl's has made it a priority to speed up production time for its private-label brands.

Source: Fortune

Like the men's department, the women's department had a huge clearance section with every style on sale, ranging in price from under $10 to over $100, depending on the brand and style.

The main fitting rooms were by the women's clothing, and there were about eight rooms that were all pretty small.

In addition, there were smaller fitting-room areas in nearly every department throughout the store.

This Kohl's was different from other Kohl's stores because it had two levels instead of just one. Home decor was the first department when I got off the escalator on the second floor.

This department took up about half of the upper level of the store.

Also upstairs was the kids section, which included clothes, shoes ...

... and a pretty big selection of toys.

There were a lot of appliances available in-store, from vacuums to popcorn makers.

It seemed like they had just about everything you might need for a kitchen or bathroom.

There was a big customer-service center in the back of the store. Kohl's has a "hassle-free" return policy that allows customers to return anything at any time, without a receipt, and get a full refund. The one exception to the rule is premium electronics, which need to be returned within 30 days of purchase.

One thing that surprised me was the breadth of the electronics section, which had everything from Apple watches to video games and even record players. The store also carried Amazon devices like the Kindle.

Because this particular Kohl's had two floors and was located in a mall, there were multiple cash registers located by each entrance.

Also by the registers were small displays with gift cards, lotion, and other last-minute things to buy.

Overall, the store was bright, clean, well-organized, and had both national and in-house brands at discounted prices.

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