Kohl’s Customers Push CEO to Restore Retailer’s Past Glories

Kohl’s shoppers are reportedly hoping the chain’s new CEO can bring back some old favorites.

The retailer appointed in November Michaels Companies CEO Ashley Buchanan to succeed CEO Tom Kingsbury, who stepped down last week.

Now, customers are hoping Buchanan can reverse some of the moves by his predecessor that upset Kohl’s longtime shoppers and sent sales plummeting, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday (Jan. 20).

Kohl’s has scaled back its private-label brands, petite clothing sizes and fine jewelry offerings in favor of Sephora cosmetics and Babies R Us shops, according to the report.

“Why do I want to see Nike and Eddie Bauer in Kohl’s when they are for sale all over the mall?” said Adrienne Cestare-Alfano, 73, a customer from Delaware, per the report. “Undo the last few years of changes and get back to being my store.”

Clare Lundberg, 70, of Massachusetts said in the report that she was unhappy that Sephora shops took away space from Kohl’s jewelry supply.

“To me, it’s a waste of space,” she said, per the report. “I’m not a Sephora shopper, and I don’t go to Kohl’s for cosmetics.”

Kohl’s has said it is undoing some of its changes. In November, soon after the CEO transition was announced, the company said it is increasing its private-label inventory after reporting a 9.3% drop in comparable sales.

“Given the importance of opening price points in the current environment, not having the appropriate level of private brands hurt our ability to serve our customers,” Kingsbury said during an earnings call.

Additionally, fine jewelry was “a category that had been highly valued by our customers,” he said.

It will be up to Buchanan to follow through on these changes. He faces the challenge of attracting younger shoppers without alienating existing customers who drive the most sales, the WSJ report said.

The company’s renewed focus on private labels puts it in the company of other retailers that are readjusting their strategies to attract financially-strained consumers. PYMNTS Intelligence found that 83% of consumers are at least somewhat worried about current and near-future economic conditions.