Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) today announced the opening of its sixth e-commerce fulfillment center in Etna, Ohio (10201 Schuster Way) to support the company’s continued online demand and digital sales acceleration. The 1.2 million square-foot facility is Kohl’s largest, most efficient fulfillment center and will be dedicated to processing, filling and shipping Kohls.com orders. The next-generation facility leverages automation and technology to make processing and delivering Kohls.com orders faster and more efficient. Construction of the facility began in 2019, was temporarily paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, and resumed in 2021.
“Over the past five years, Kohl’s digital sales have grown more than 100 percent. Our investment in a highly efficient sixth e-commerce fulfillment center will meaningfully grow our peak fulfillment capacity,” said Paul Gaffney, Kohl’s senior executive vice president, chief technology officer and head of supply chain. “The new facility makes Kohl’s more efficient at fulfilling orders via automation and modern technology, puts Kohl’s products geographically closer to our customers, and ultimately gets our great products to our customers faster.”
As part of its strategic framework, Kohl’s is focused not only on driving top line growth, but on increasing operating margin, including end-to-end supply chain efficiencies. The new e-commerce fulfillment center supports the company’s initiatives to manage fulfillment costs at a lower level, while further leveraging stores to drive customer pickup and get closer to the customer.
State-of-the-Art Automation and Technology
The Etna, Ohio facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, making it three times more productive than Kohl’s traditional e-commerce fulfillment centers. By removing five touches from the full fulfillment life-cycle of an online order, orders are processed more efficiently and minimize fulfillment costs, without sacrificing accuracy.
Full-Time, Part-Time and Seasonal Positions Available
With the opening of the new e-commerce fulfillment center, Kohl’s will bring more than 400 new jobs to the Columbus-area over the next few months and plans to add thousands of seasonal positions in the back half of the year to support increased digital demand during peak seasons. In addition to an exciting, supportive work environment rooted in a culture of appreciation and opportunity, Kohl’s offers competitive wages, weekly paychecks, a free on-site wellness center for associates and their families, and an immediate 15 percent Kohl’s discount. Interested applicants should visit Careers.Kohls.com/etna or text “apply” to 24508 for information.
Robust Fulfillment Network
In response to continued online demand and digital sales acceleration, Kohl’s has invested significantly over the past several years in building a powerful omnichannel platform to deliver the ease and convenience customers are looking for. In addition to Kohl’s e-commerce fulfillment centers, the company also leverages the strength of its more than 1,100 stores nationwide to fulfill Kohls.com orders. In 2020, Kohl’s stores fulfilled nearly 45 percent of digital orders through fast and free omnichannel services including Drive Up, In Store Pick Up and Ship to Store.
In 2017, Kohl’s opened its fifth e-commerce fulfillment center in Plainfield, Ind. Based on learning from that facility, Kohl’s made design improvements to drive greater speed and efficiency in order fulfillment in its sixth facility. In addition to the new Etna, Ohio facility and the Plainfield, Ind. facility, Kohl’s operates e-commerce fulfillment centers in San Bernardino, Calif.; Edgewood, Md.; Monroe, Ohio; and DeSoto, Texas.
https://investors.kohls.com/news-releases/news-details/2021/Kohls-Opens-Sixth-E-Commerce-Fulfillment-Center-to-Support-Growing-Digital-Demand-and-Supply-Chain-Efficiencies/default.aspx