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While Kohl's and JCPenney compete in the same market segment, Kohl's is thriving while JCPenney is struggling. Both carry comparable brands from the lower end to the upper mid range.
Is it Kohl's more modern stores? Is it because most Kohl's stores are located outside of malls? Is it because Kohl's has more agreements with major celebrities?
Many factors, so I am going to name just a few:
Kohl's goes with the time while JCP seems to be stuck in the last century. The stores look dark, cramped and cluttered/unorganized.
Kohl's has a partnership with Amazon and sells Amazon-branded products in all stores to help drive traffic.
Kohl's is usually a part of a strip mall or a free standing building, while JCPenny is usually located in mediocre malls. Malls are declining for a while now.
Kohl's sells better brands and better prices, offers diffusion lines from high-end designers.
JCP inflates prices to promote sales when, in reality, "sale" prices are often near regular retail.
Kohl'd stores are smaller and more efficient.
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Kohl’s is thriving? I have been to one a few times recently with my wife, and there were very few customers, and it was very hard to find a cashier. Maybe a geographic difference, though this article is not optimistic.
Kohl's doesn't have the long-term large anchor store leases that JCPenney does, where real estate is a factor in the cost of operating, as Kohl's has smaller, more efficient stores that are usually outside of main shopping mall complexes. Kohl's is also a bit fresher in design and has a more focused product mix than JCP. Just looking at the breakup and spin-off of Liz Claiborne, when the company decided to keep Kate Spade and jettison other labels -- Kohl's bought Dana Buchman, which had an established bridge collection name at stores like Bloomingdale's, whereas JCP acquired the Liz Claiborne name and slapped the label on dowdy clothes that were not innovative sportswear that propelled Liz Claiborne to success.
JCPenney just seems to be very dated and stuck in the past retail business, whereas Kohl's stores are fresher, lighter, and tend to have a better product mix for the intended customer base, at least from those that I have seen.
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I also don't know if I would say Kohl's is "thriving." Holding its own maybe, compared to other stores that are facing more challenges might be a way to put it.
Growing up we didn't have a kohl's near us, so I've never been a Kohl's person. I've been there and shopped there. But only for specific items. Kohl's never has been -- nor do I ever see it becoming -- my "go to" department store. I can find most anything I want some place else.
I don't dislike it. It's jut that nothing much there ever attracted me to go. It's mediocre. It's inventory is more limited, so I don't think it has a lot of variety.
I don’t like either of them much. Kohl’s has a less cluttered layout, but I didn’t think the prices were competitive when I went there shopping for baby clothes recently. I don’t see the appeal. I can do better shopping the sales at Carter’s and filling in the gaps with Target and Walmart.
For adult clothes for myself, I prefer shopping the sale racks at Nordstrom (and .com) and get higher quality clothes at prices competitive with or better than regular priced items at places like Kohl’s or Penney’s.
The Kohl's stores by me always look a lot messier than JC Penny's, not that Penny's looks so great these days. JC Penny's has more inventory in non-apparel items, including furniture. It's more like a real department store, whereas Kohl's is more like TJ Maxx or a Marshall's, at least in my area. One of the Kohl's stores near me is attached to a mall.
I have been to Kohl's many times and have never been impressed. I believe the only thing I have ever purchased there is a denim jacket. Their petite section is a joke compared to JCP, however JCP's petite section seems to be geared towards senior citizens, perhaps because I live in Florida. Every once in a while I luck out and find something there. The oldest JCP in my area is at a local mall and it always smells musty and like mildew. The one nearest me isn't much better and it's the smallest one in the county.
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