A program that allows Amazon customers to make returns at select Kohl’s stores in Milwaukee, Chicago and Los Angeles will soon be expanded to include all Kohl’s locations nationwide.
Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s Corp. announced Tuesday 1,150 store locations across its 48-state footprint will accept eligible Amazon.com merchandise starting in July.
The service was first rolled out in 2017 and is currently available at 100 stores in the Milwaukee, Chicago and Los Angeles markets.
Items can be returned at Kohl’s unlabeled and unpackaged. The department store will package and send all returned items to Amazon return centers free of charge.
“We are thrilled to bring Amazon Returns at Kohl’s to all of our stores across the country,” said Kohl’s chief executive officer Michelle Gass in a statement. “Amazon and Kohl’s have a shared passion in providing outstanding customer service, and this unique partnership combines Kohl’s strong nationwide store footprint and omnichannel capabilities with Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty. This new service is another example of how Kohl’s is delivering innovation to drive traffic to our stores and bring more relevance to our customers.”
As part of the companies’ expanded partnership, Amazon is able to purchase up to 1.7 million shares of Kohl’s stock at about $70 per share starting Jan. 15, 2020. That deal expires on April 18, 2026.
The agreement was disclosed in an SEC filing released Tuesday, but was not publicly announced.
Also in 2017, Kohl’s teamed up with Amazon to sell its “smart home experience” devices at 10 stores in the Los Angeles and Chicago areas. That initiative expanded last month to include more than 200 stores that now sell Amazon products, Kohl’s said.
