Kohl's touts success in '07

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. Kohl's announced at its annual meeting that it had made significant progress in the areas of merchandise content, inventory management, marketing and in-store experience.

The company reported that in 2007, private and exclusive brands comprised approximately 39% of sales. In 2008, Kohl’s expects the combination to grow 100 to 200 basis points supported by the continued growth of ELLE, Food Network and Simply Vera Vera Wang as well as new introductions such as Bobby Flay, Jumping Beans and FILA SPORT.

Kohl's said it successfully opened 112 new stores in 2007, 80 of which occurred on a single day in October, marking the largest grand opening in Kohl’s history. At the end of fiscal 2007, the company operated 929 stores in 47 states compared with 817 stores in 45 states at the end of 2006.