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Across the Hudson River at the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City, N.J., Kohl's, the $13.4 billion chain based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., is in the middle of its own makeover. The store, opened just in time for the prime shopping season, is the antithesis of the formula that has worked for Kohl's since it was founded in 1962. Unlike its hallmark one-floor, off-mall format, loved by suburban working moms, this two-story unit lies smack-dab in the center of--drumroll, please--a mall, directly across from none other than Macy's. Even Kohl...
...stores that same month, most in off-mall locales. Both companies have plans for a lot more: Penney, which operates 1,037 stores, has announced that it will open 50 stores annually through 2008, while the 817-store Kohl's intends to tack on 400 stores to the chain by 2010, some inside urban malls. The company has also said it will remodel at least 40 older stores by the end of 2007. But Robin Lewis, a retail consultant and newsletter publisher in New York City, says Kohl's will grow sales faster than Penney because its corporate structure...
...newly minted version of the classic Macy's vs. Gimbel's rivalry? "It's absolutely a battle," says Steven Keith Platt of the Platt Retail Institute, an industry think tank in Hindale, Ill. "They're both going after the same market--the female. She controls the purse strings." Both chains dismiss the notion of a retail slugfest. But it is clear that each chain is borrowing a page from the other's business model. For example, 22 of the 25 stores that Penney opened in the third quarter were situated in very Kohl's-like locales, a different approach...
Meanwhile, Kohl's, a chain known for selling brand-name merchandise at discount prices, is adapting Penney's successful, exclusive-label strategy--that is, getting well-known designers or brands to create products that will be available in its stores only. It already has partnerships with Estée Lauder, which has created other exclusive brands for the retailer; Ralph Lauren (Chaps); skateboarder Tony Hawk; and Cuban-American model and actress Daisy Fuentes. Next up in early 2007: a blockbuster partnership with designer Vera Wang and an exclusive housewares partnership with the Food Network. Says Kohl's president, Mansell...
...bedding, bath items and linens from home-design celebrity Chris Madden. In early 2007, the retailer will introduce two new exclusive Liz Claiborne lines and launch its biggest house label yet, Ambrielle, a collection of intimate apparel that is likely to compete with Limited's Victoria's Secret chain. "It's clear to our customers that our brands have the style and quality that are comparable to higher-end department stores, at a smarter price. That may sound casual, but it's our underlying premise," says Ullman, who points out that the retailer's seven major private brands contributed...