Menomonee Falls-based retailer Kohl’s Corp. made a round of layoffs Tuesday, eliminating 10% of “the roles that report into its corporate offices,” according to a company statement.
More than half of the positions that were eliminated had been open and unfilled; the remainder were held by employees. The company did not disclose the number of employees who lost their jobs but said those impacted have been informed and received severance packages.
Kohl’s said the move was made in support of its “ongoing actions to increase efficiencies and improve profitability for the long-term health and benefit of the business.”
Those ongoing actions include the forthcoming closures of 27 underperforming store locations across the country — none in Wisconsin — and a fulfillment center in San Bernardino, California.
The closures were announced in early January, just days before new CEO Ashley Buchanan took the helm, replacing Tom Kingsbury.
During 2023, Kohl’s employed roughly 96,000 people, including 36,000 full time and 60,000 part time, according to its most recent annual 10-K form, filed in February 2024.
The company has a history of mass layoffs in recent years as it continues to navigate a challenging and ever-changing retail environment. In January 2023, it laid off 60 corporate employees, mostly in the marketing and merchandising departments. In September 2020, facing ongoing pressure from the pandemic, Kohl’s let got of 15% of its corporate workforce.
