Kohl's Shutters 27 Stores Across 15 States — Over 1,100 Locations Now Under Pressure to Perform

Metaintro has been tracking a wave of retail store closures sweeping the U.S. in 2025 and 2026, and Kohl's is among the biggest names making cuts. The department store chain shuttered 27 locations across 15 states in early 2025 and closed its San Bernardino e-commerce fulfillment center shortly after. With net sales declining nearly 9% and stock prices plummeting over 50% in 12 months, the retailer is now under the leadership of its third CEO in three years — Michael Bender — who says the chain is done shrinking and ready to start optimizing. For the thousands of retail workers and job seekers affected, the question is no longer just about which stores are closing, but where the next opportunities will come from.

Which Kohl's Stores Closed and Where Were They Located?

Kohl's confirmed the closure of 27 underperforming stores in January 2025, with all locations shutting their doors by April. The closures spanned 15 states, with California hit hardest at 10 retail locations plus the San Bernardino fulfillment center. Here is the full breakdown:

Alabama (1): Spanish Fort — 21000 Town Center Ave.

Arkansas (1): Little Rock West — 13909 Chenal Pkwy.

California (10): Balboa in San Diego — 5505 Balboa Ave.; Encinitas — 134 N El Camino Real; Fremont — 43782 Christy St.; Mountain View — 350 Showers Dr.; Napa — 1116 1st St.; Pleasanton — 4525 Rosewood Dr.; Point West in Sacramento — 1896 Arden Way; San Rafael — 5010 Northgate Dr.; San Luis Obispo — 205 Madonna Rd.; Westchester — 8739 S Sepulveda Blvd.

Colorado (1): Arapahoe Crossing in Aurora — 6584 S Parker Rd.

Georgia (1): Duluth — 2050 W Liddell Rd.

Idaho (1): Boise — 400 N Milwaukee St.

Illinois (2): Plainfield — 11860 S Route 59; Spring Hill in West Dundee — 3000 Spring Hill Ring Rd.

Massachusetts (1): Stoughton — 501 Technology Center Dr.

New Jersey (1): East Windsor — 72 Princeton Hightstown Rd.

Ohio (2): Blue Ash — 4150 Hunt Rd.; Forest Park in Cincinnati — 100 Cincinnati Mills Dr.

Oregon (1): Portland Gateway — 10010 NE Halsey St.

Pennsylvania (1): Pottstown — 351 W Schuylkill Rd.

Texas (1): North Dallas — 18224 Preston Rd.

Utah (1): Riverton — 13319 S 3600 W Ste 13LOT

Virginia (2): Herndon — 2100 Centreville Rd.; Williamsburg — 100 Gristmill Plz

In addition to these retail locations, Kohl's also closed its San Bernardino E-commerce Fulfillment Center in California in May 2025, eliminating warehouse and logistics jobs in the region.

What Did Kohl's CEO Say About the Future?

Michael Bender, who took over as CEO in November 2024 — making him the company's third chief executive in just three years — has made it clear that the shrinking phase is over. In a March 2026 update, Bender stated: "I would not anticipate any sort of grand plan of saying we're taking stores out or adding stores at this point."

Instead, the focus is on squeezing more productivity out of the roughly 1,150 stores that remain open. "The focus for us is actually on optimizing what we already have, and we'll be focused on making sure that we continue to push the stores' productivity going forward," Bender said.

This is a meaningful signal for retail workers. While the company says well over 90% of its current locations are profitable, the emphasis on "productivity" often translates to leaner staffing, tighter scheduling, and increased expectations for existing employees. Workers at surviving stores should prepare for shifts in responsibilities, potential changes to hours, and a heightened focus on sales performance metrics.

The financial picture driving these decisions is stark. Kohl's reported a nearly 9% decline in net sales in Q3, with revenue falling to $3.5 billion. Net income dropped from $59 million to just $22 million year-over-year, and the stock lost more than half its value over 12 months. These numbers explain why the company chose to cut underperforming locations rather than invest in turning them around.

How Does This Fit Into the Broader Retail Closure Trend?

Kohl's is far from alone. The U.S. retail landscape has been contracting steadily, with Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Big Lots all announcing significant store closures in recent months. According to Coresight Research, U.S. retailers announced over 7,300 store closures in 2024, and the pace has only accelerated into 2025 and 2026.

The pattern is consistent: legacy department stores and mid-tier retailers are struggling to compete with e-commerce giants like Amazon, fast-fashion disruptors, and shifting consumer spending habits. Foot traffic at malls and shopping centers continues to decline, and the cost of maintaining large physical retail spaces is increasingly difficult to justify when digital channels offer higher margins.

For retail workers, this trend represents both a threat and an opportunity. The threat is obvious — fewer stores mean fewer floor positions, cashier roles, and in-store management jobs. But the opportunity lies in where that spending is going. E-commerce fulfillment centers, last-mile delivery operations, and omnichannel retail roles are expanding rapidly. Workers with customer service experience, inventory management skills, or logistics knowledge are well-positioned to transition into these growing sectors.

As Metaintro CEO Lacey Kaelani told People Managing People, "What we're seeing isn't just a correction — it's a restructuring. Companies are using AI as both a tool and an excuse to fundamentally reshape their workforces." While Kohl's closures are driven more by financial underperformance than AI adoption, the broader restructuring dynamic applies — retailers are rethinking not just where they operate, but how many people they need to operate with.

What Happened to Affected Employees?

Kohl's stated that all associates at the 27 closed stores were informed of the closures and offered two options: a competitive severance package or the ability to apply for open positions at other Kohl's locations. The same applies to workers at the San Bernardino fulfillment center.

However, the reality for many displaced retail workers is more complicated than a company statement suggests. Transferring to another Kohl's store often means a longer commute, and severance packages — while helpful in the short term — do not replace the stability of ongoing employment. In communities where Kohl's was one of the few large employers, particularly in smaller markets like Napa, Pottstown, or Spanish Fort, the closure leaves a meaningful gap in available retail jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the retail trade sector employed approximately 15.7 million workers as of early 2026, but the sector has seen a net decline in positions as automation, self-checkout technology, and e-commerce continue to reshape how Americans shop. Workers who were relying on department store employment as a stable career path are increasingly finding they need to upskill or pivot.

For those affected by the Kohl's closures specifically, several paths forward make sense. Competing retailers like Target, TJX Companies (which operates T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods), and Walmart continue to expand their store footprints and are actively hiring in many of the same markets Kohl's exited. E-commerce fulfillment roles at Amazon and other logistics companies offer another avenue, particularly for workers from the San Bernardino fulfillment center who already have warehouse experience.

What Should Retail Job Seekers Do Right Now?

If you are a retail worker affected by store closures — whether at Kohl's or another chain — here are concrete steps to take in the current market:

Update your resume with transferable skills. Retail experience translates directly to customer service, sales, inventory management, loss prevention, and team coordination roles. Highlight specific metrics where possible: sales targets met, customer satisfaction scores, or team sizes managed.

Look beyond traditional retail. Healthcare systems, hospitality companies, and logistics firms all value the same customer-facing skills that retail workers develop. Hospitals, hotels, and fulfillment centers are among the fastest-growing employers in many of the markets where Kohl's stores closed.

Consider e-commerce and omnichannel roles. The same companies closing physical stores are often expanding their digital operations. Roles in order fulfillment, customer experience for online shoppers, and supply chain coordination are growing even as storefront jobs decline.

Check for local hiring events. When a large retailer exits a market, competing employers often hold hiring fairs to absorb displaced workers. Target, Costco, and regional grocery chains are frequent hosts of these events.

Use Metaintro to stay ahead of the market. Job market conditions are shifting fast, and having real-time information about which companies are hiring, which are cutting, and where the opportunities are concentrating is the difference between a prolonged job search and a quick transition.

People Also Asked

Q: Is Kohl's going out of business entirely?

A: No. Kohl's is not going out of business. The company closed 27 underperforming stores in 2025 but still operates more than 1,100 locations across the United States. CEO Michael Bender has said the company does not plan additional closures in 2026 and is focused on improving productivity and profitability at its remaining stores. While the financial picture is challenging, Kohl's leadership says over 90% of current locations are profitable.

Q: How many employees were affected by Kohl's store closures?

A: Kohl's did not disclose the exact number of employees affected by the 27 store closures and the San Bernardino fulfillment center shutdown. However, a typical Kohl's store employs between 50 and 150 workers depending on size and location, which means the closures likely displaced between 1,350 and 4,050 retail employees, plus additional warehouse and logistics workers from the fulfillment center. All affected associates were offered severance or the option to transfer to other locations.

Q: What other retail stores are closing in 2026?

A: Several major retailers have announced store closures in 2025 and 2026 alongside Kohl's. Macy's is closing approximately 150 stores as part of a multi-year restructuring. Saks Fifth Avenue is shuttering locations in 12 states. Big Lots closed all of its remaining stores after filing for bankruptcy. Nordstrom has also trimmed its store count. The trend reflects a broader shift in retail from physical storefronts toward e-commerce and omnichannel models.

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