Kohl’s is reducing its corporate workforce by 10 percent, says fewer than 200 people are affected

After struggling for much of the last year, Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s Corp. is reducing its corporate workforce by about 10 percent.

Kohl’s CEO Ashley Buchanan made the announcement Tuesday in an email to employees, saying the decision was made to strengthen the company’s long-term health and profitability.

“We reduced approximately 10 percent of the roles that report into our corporate offices,” he wrote. “More than half of the reductions came from closing open positions. The remainder of positions were held by Kohl’s corporate associates.”

A Kohl’s spokesperson said fewer than 200 people were impacted by the layoffs. The spokesperson did not give the total number of employees working at the company’s Menomonee Falls headquarters. 

“All impacted associates have been informed and we provided competitive severance packages to help support their transition,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We sincerely thank our associates for their dedication to Kohl’s.”

The move comes after Kohl’s struggled with sales for much of 2024, ending the third quarter with an 8.8 percent decrease in year-over-year net sales. Fourth quarter earnings data have not yet been released.

Earlier this month, the company announced plans to close 27 stores that it says were underperforming. 

“The real estate closures and the corporate workforce reduction are both actions to support our commitments to increase efficiencies and improve profitability in the business for the long-term benefit of our associates and customers,” the company’s statement read.

It isn’t the first time Kohl’s has had layoffs in recent years. The company laid off 60 corporate employees in 2023 and reduced its corporate workforce by 15 percent in 2020.

In the message to employees Tuesday, Buchanan acknowledged that it’s “a challenging time for Kohl’s” but said company leaders are working on a “more sustainable plan for growth.”

“It will happen through a thoughtful, data-informed approach that builds on our strengths and creates new innovations that serve our customers in the ways they want to shop and interact with Kohl’s now and in the future,” he wrote.

Buchanan formally took over as the head of the company on Jan. 15. He is the company’s third CEO in three years.