Kohl#039;s Expands

Kohl’s, the mid-tier department-store chain based in Wisconsin, is more than doubling its New York design office space and moving it a block away on Broadway. The new office, which will be open for business by June, will help Kohl’s expand its partnership with designers and manage the exclusive arrangements it now has for labels such as Simply Vera Vera Wang, Dana Buchman, Candie’s and FILA Sport. Kevin Mansell—Kohl’s chairman, chief executive and president—said the exclusive deals accounted for 45 percent of sales through the first three quarters of the latest fiscal year. “Having a New York presence has been instrumental in growing our exclusive and private-brand strategy,” Mansell said. Kohl’s operates 1,059 stores in 49 states.