Kohl's Adds Beauty Departments to All Locations
As part of a turnaround plan, Kohl’s has added beauty departments to all its 1,100 stores. Brands like Lorac, Pür, Bliss and theBalm will be sold in the new departments, which range from 670 to 1,000 square feet depending on the location. Kohl’s also moved hair dryers and irons from the home section into the beauty department, and added displays near checkout lines for impulse buys like travel-sized cosmetics. The retailer thought it would originally take six years to complete this project, but it only took three-and-a-half. Kohl’s executives say beauty is part of an overall health and wellness focus it plans to develop with partners like Under Armour.
Total Retail's Take: Kohl’s is benefitting from prestige brands meeting its customers where they already shop. Lorac, sold in stores like Ulta, will now be available to Kohl’s shoppers. This attracts Lorac loyalists to Kohl’s. Sephora did something similar when it began opening shops inside J.C. Penney locations throughout the country. By opening new beauty departments, Kohl’s is acknowledging that its customers were buying cosmetic products, but from somewhere else. The retailer is making changes to increase sales during a time of department store downturn.
