Kohl's 2004 Annual Report Download - page 7

TO OUR CUSTOMER: expect great things means a
great shopping experience. We’re dedicated to providing
our customers with the best selection of brands, at the
best value – all in one easy trip.
In 2004, we focused on bringing newness into our
stores – new styles, new brands and new merchandising
initiatives – to further differentiate us from the competition.
We made Kohl’s an easier place to shop, with an increased
emphasis on fashion. Our successful combination of national,
private and exclusive brands gives our current customers a
wider spectrum of styles to choose from and encourages
new customers to see what all the excitement is about.
EXPECT GREAT BRANDS In 2004, we added exclusive
brands for the first time. New national and private brands
broadened our fashion appeal with increased emphasis on
the total lifestyle concept of how our customers live, work
and play.
Our exciting alliance with The Estée Lauder Companies
Inc. brought beauty into our stores for the first time with
three new, exclusive brands of makeup and skin care
products – American Beauty, Flirt! and good skin.
This new category
provides value and
convenience for
customers who
want to add
high-quality beauty
items to their Kohl’s
shopping cart. Our
beauty department is bright and cheerful, with open-sell
product displays filled with over 400 shades of makeup and
skin care products for every complexion type. A trained
beauty Associate is available to provide expert advice and
customers are invited to “try before they buy.”
For misses, our exclusive new fashion line by Daisy Fuentes,
a popular fashion model and TV personality, showcases
everyday style solutions in contemporary designs, colors and
fabrics priced to appeal to Kohl’s core customer. The
exciting daisy fuentes line went from 188 stores to all
stores in October 2004. In 2005, the line will be extended to
accessories, loungewear, shoes and special sizes. For young
girls and their parents, everGirl, a new lifestyle brand created
by Nickelodeon, offers another great option for the newest
trends in clothing and accessories.
We further expanded our private brand selection with
Urban Pipeline for young men. Our newest private brand,
apt. 9, was introduced in both mens and misses and quickly
became a strong performer. In 2005, we will extend apt. 9
into special sizes, as well as into swimwear, sleepwear,
jewelry and accessories for women. In mens, we will add
apt. 9 in sportswear, outerwear, dress shirts, ties and dress slacks.
In national brands, we added Bongo for juniors, and will
extend it into girls in 2005, to broaden our customer base
and better serve a variety of ages and interests. The Laura
Ashley Lifestyles and Gloria Vanderbilt brands arrived in our
bath and bedding department in 2004, with initial
merchandise including comforter sets, sheets, bath towels
and bath rugs. We also added ROYAL VELVET towels and
accessories to our extensive bath offerings in 2005.
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Expect Great T hings: Customers