Survey names Kohl's as "nation's favorite retailer"

BOULDER, Colo.— Kohl’s is the nation’s favorite fashion retail chain, according to an annual consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. This is the third year in a row that Kohl’s has earned the top spot. Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ second favorite, followed by Macy’s, Dillard’s and JCPenney. Rounding out the top ten were Coldwater Creek (6), Ann Taylor Loft (7), T.J. Maxx (8), Old Navy (9) and Marshalls (10).

Market Force surveyed almost 7,000 consumers across North America and asked them to select their favorite fashion retailer from a list of 91 national chains. Results were first tallied based on the number of total votes, where Kohl’s took a clear lead with 16% of the vote total. But the number of votes has a strong correlation to the number of stores. Market Force wanted to determine which chain received the most votes per store, so it indexed the findings by store count. The results showed that Kohl’s still is consumers’ top choice.

Before the votes were indexed, Kohl’s earned the most total votes, while JCPenney amassed the second most, and then Macy’s, Walmart and T.J. Maxx.

“More than 70% of surveyed consumers said that they shopped most recently for casual clothing, with business clothing coming in a distant second. That number grows to a whopping 90% when we asked what they shopped for at their favorite retailer. That tells us that price and type of merchandise loom large as selection criteria for a casual fashion retailer,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing office for Market Force. “Kohl’s has achieved that great balance of broad selection and good prices, particularly in the casual clothing sector. But, notice that Nordstrom secured second place, and specialty stores like Coldwater Creek and Ann Taylor Loft came in sixth and seventh. Those results might suggest that consumers are loosening their pocketbooks in favor of quality over a bargain for select fashion items.”