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Kohl's Corporation

kss · NYSE Consumer Cyclical
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Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Department Stores
Employees 87000
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FY2021 Annual Report · Kohl's Corporation
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒

☐

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022
or

Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Transition period from ____________ to ___________

Commission file number 1-11084

KOHL’S CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Wisconsin

39-1630919

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

N56 W17000 Ridgewood Drive, 
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

(Address of principal executive offices)

53051

(Zip Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (262) 703-7000

Title of each class

Common Stock, $.01 par value
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

Trading 
Symbol(s)
KSS
—

Name of each exchange on 
which registered
New York Stock Exchange 
New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of 
Regulations S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). 
Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an 
emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in 
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer

Non-Accelerated Filer

☒

☐  

Accelerated Filer

Smaller Reporting Company

Emerging Growth Company

☐

☐

☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new 
or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal 
control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared 
or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ☐    No  ☒

At July 30, 2021, the aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by shareholders who were not affiliates of the Registrant was 
approximately $7.7 billion (based upon the closing price of Registrant’s Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date). 

At March 9, 2022, the Registrant had outstanding an aggregate of 128,590,957 shares of its Common Stock.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

Portions of the Definitive Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated into Part III.

KOHL’S CORPORATION
INDEX

PART I
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 1B.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
Item 4A.

PART II
Item 5.

Item 6.
Item 7.
Item 7A.
Item 8.
Item 9.
Item 9A.
Item 9B.
Item 9C.

PART III
Item 10.
Item 11.
Item 12.

Item 13.
Item 14.

PART IV
Item 15.
Item 16.

Business ........................................................................................................................................................
Risk Factors ..................................................................................................................................................
Unresolved Staff Comments ......................................................................................................................
Properties ......................................................................................................................................................
Legal Proceedings .......................................................................................................................................
Mine Safety Disclosures .............................................................................................................................
Information about our Executive Officers.................................................................................................

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of 
Equity Securities ..........................................................................................................................................
Reserved .......................................................................................................................................................
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations...........
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk ...............................................................
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data .....................................................................................
Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures .......
Controls and Procedures............................................................................................................................
Other Information .........................................................................................................................................
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections ................................................

Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance ...................................................................
Executive Compensation............................................................................................................................
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 
Matters...........................................................................................................................................................
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence .................................
Principal Accounting Fees and Services..................................................................................................

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules ..........................................................................................
Form 10-K Summary ...................................................................................................................................

SIGNATURES ...................................................................................

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14
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20
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36
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59
61
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PART I

Item 1. Business

Kohl’s  Corporation  (the  “Company,"  “Kohl’s,”  "we,"  "our,"  or  "us")  was  organized  in  1988  and  is  a  Wisconsin 
corporation. As of January 29, 2022, we operated 1,165 Kohl's stores and a website (www.Kohls.com). Our Kohl's 
stores  and  website  sell  moderately-priced  private  and  national  brand  apparel,  footwear,  accessories,  beauty,  and 
home  products.  Our  Kohl's  stores  generally  carry  a  consistent  merchandise  assortment  with  some  differences 
attributable to local preferences, store size, and Sephora. Our website includes merchandise which is available in our 
stores, as well as merchandise that is available only online. 

Our merchandise mix includes both national brands and private brands that are available only at Kohl's. Our private 
portfolio includes well-known established brands such as Apt. 9, Croft & Barrow, Jumping Beans, SO, and Sonoma 
Goods for Life, and exclusive brands that are developed and marketed through agreements with nationally-recognized 
brands such as Food Network, LC Lauren Conrad, Nine West, and Simply Vera Vera Wang. Compared to private 
brands, national brands generally have higher selling prices, but lower gross margins.

The following tables summarize our net sales penetration by line of business and brand type over the last three years:

Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31st each year. Unless otherwise stated, references to years 
in this report relate to fiscal years rather than to calendar years. The following fiscal periods are presented in this 
report:

Fiscal Year
2021
2020
2019

Ended
January 29, 2022
January 30, 2021
February 1, 2020

Number of Weeks
  52 
  52 
  52 

For discussion of our financial results, see Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition 
and Results of Operations."

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Distribution

We receive substantially all of our merchandise at our nine retail distribution centers and six e-fulfillment centers. A 
small  amount  of  our  merchandise  is  delivered  directly  to  the  stores  by  vendors  or  their  distributors.  The  retail 
distribution centers, which are strategically located throughout the United States, ship merchandise to each store by 
contract carrier several times a week. Digital sales may be picked up in our stores or are shipped from a Kohl’s e-
fulfillment center, retail distribution center or store, third-party fulfillment center, or directly by a third-party vendor.

See Item 2, “Properties,” for additional information about our distribution and e-fulfillment centers.

Human Capital

At Kohl’s, our purpose is to inspire and empower families to lead fulfilled lives. We are committed to creating a culture 
where  everyone  belongs,  where  diversity  and  inclusion  drive  innovation  and  business  results,  while  enabling 
associates and customers to be their authentic selves every single day.

Employee Count

During 2021, we employed an average of approximately 99,000 associates, which included approximately 35,000 
full-time and 64,000 part-time associates. The number of associates varies during the year, peaking during the back-
to-school and holiday seasons. None of our associates are represented by a collective bargaining unit. We believe 
we maintain positive relations with our associates.

Health, Safety, and Wellness

We lead initiatives that ensure the way we communicate, work, and develop our product enables our customers and 
associates to shop, work, and engage in a safe environment. We have a dedicated team responsible to prepare our 
business for crisis events, including natural disasters and other unplanned disruptions like those brought on by the 
COVID-19 pandemic. To keep a healthy workforce, we maintain an advocacy program that provides associates with 
24/7 access to medical professionals following a work accident. We have enhanced the way our stores are built and 
operated in an effort to create a safer shopping experience for our associates and customers. We continue to pursue 
innovative ways to educate our teams on safety. Associates at our stores, distribution and e-fulfillment centers receive 
specialized training to enhance our safety culture and reduce associate accidents.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Kohl’s, we are committed to our Diversity & Inclusion ("D&I") strategy focused on Our People, Our Customers and 
Our Community, and our mission to empower more families through equity and D&I. This strategy accelerates how 
we are embedding D&I throughout our business by being intentional about our programs and practices, and holding 
ourselves accountable with measurable goals and results. The work is rooted in our Core Beliefs:









We believe embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do requires an ongoing journey of 
listening, learning and taking action.

We believe that human and civil rights, anti-racism, and our commitment to nondiscrimination in any form 
are critical to upholding our core values, ethical practices, and Code of Ethics.

We  believe  we  can  create  lasting  change  by  addressing  inequities  to  positively  affect  our  people, 
customers, and community. 

We  believe  we  are  accountable  for  inspiring  empathy,  creating  an  environment  of  belonging,  and 
identifying and addressing bias.

We are committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued at all levels, everyone feels a sense of equity 
and where inclusion is evident across our business. We strive to be purposeful in attracting, growing, and engaging 

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more diverse talent while giving associates equitable opportunities for career growth. We administer our recruiting 
efforts  with  a  focus  on  education,  training,  and  sourcing  strategies  for  increasing  our  diverse  talent  pipeline.  Our 
diversity and inclusion strategy is embedded into our onboarding for all associates. We endeavor to drive economic 
prosperity through conversations, programs, and partnerships that improve quality of life. 

Diversity and Inclusion efforts need to start at the top. In 2019, we joined the 1% club — the handful of Fortune 500 
firms  where  both  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  are  women.  We  are  focused  on  growing 
diverse  leaders  by  engaging  top  and  emerging  talent  in  internal  and  external  professional  development  offerings. 
Diversity is embedded within our organizational planning for the future, with diversity being an area of consideration 
during  succession  planning.  We  are  working  to  develop  inclusive  leaders  through  programs  aimed  at  building 
awareness and encouraging advocacy. 

In the space of continuous development and engagement, we have eight Business Resource Groups ("BRGs") with 
nearly 19,000 members focused on driving the business by recognizing and championing D&I in its multiple forms. 
BRG’s  continue  to  be  leveraged  and  seen  as  the  “culture  keepers”  to  support  honest  and  reflective  dialogue  and 
accelerate  the  company  forward  in  inclusion  and  belonging.  The  BRG’s  are  also  positioned  to  provide  key 
development and growth opportunities for associates to build their cache of skills and connections while bringing their 
authentic selves to their work and the organization. The BRGs serve as champions for enhancing our diversity and 
inclusion efforts across our business and make an impact across the organization with a focus on our three diversity 
and inclusion pillars. We work to provide learning opportunities for our leaders and associates to build a more diverse 
and inclusive workforce and engage associates on how that creates a competitive advantage. In 2021, we rolled out 
Inclusive  Leadership  training  to  the  full  organization  that  included  a  range  of  experiential  and  online  learner-led 
education. As part of our commitment to overcoming racial injustice and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, 
the  learning  experience  was  designed  to  help  associates  understand  and  manage  blind  spots  and  build  stronger 
connections with colleagues, customers, partners, and communities. Kohl’s defines inclusive leadership as fostering 
a  culture  where  everyone  feels  welcome,  valued,  and  heard,  and  respecting  and  considering  the  unique  needs, 
experiences, and perspectives of our associates to grow our business together.

Compensation and Benefits

As the makeup and needs of the modern family evolve, our products, services, and programs must also transform. 
We provide competitive compensation and benefits programs for our employees and are committed to providing fair 
and equitable compensation to our employees. All eligible associates receive a 100% match (up to 5% of pay) in 
Kohl’s 401(k) Savings Plan after one year of employment. Full-time associates are offered medical, dental, vision, 
prescription  drug,  disability  and  life  insurance  coverage,  paid  time  off,  and  a  merchandise  discount.  Part-time 
associates are offered dental, vision, supplementary life insurance, and a merchandise discount. We empower our 
associates’ work-life balance by giving them access to a full range of professional resources.

Training and Development

Behind our success are great teams of talented individuals who embody our values. We actively attract, engage, and 
hire talent who will drive our purpose. Our talent management team brings together performance management, talent 
assessment, succession planning, and career planning. This team provides tools, resources, and best practices to 
ensure we have the right talent in the right roles at the right time. We invest in executive coaching, assessments, 
internal programs, external courses, peer networks, and more.

From initial onboarding to high potential leadership development, we believe in training and career growth for our 
associates. We make efforts to stay ahead of the competition by leaning into new technologies and encouraging our 
associates to keep their skills fresh through our learning management system, which includes more than 1,000 online 
and in-person courses. We are committed to the highest standards of integrity and maintain a Code of Ethics to guide 

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ethical decision-making for associates. We require associates to take annual ethics training, which is refreshed each 
year to cover relevant topics.

Competition

The retail industry is highly competitive. Management considers style, quality, price, and convenience to be the most 
significant competitive factors in the industry. Merchandise mix, brands, service, loyalty programs, credit availability, 
and customer experience are also key competitive factors. Our primary competitors are traditional department stores, 
mass merchandisers, off-price retailers, specialty stores, internet businesses, and other forms of retail commerce. 
Our specific competitors vary from market to market.

Merchandise Vendors

We  purchase  merchandise  from  numerous  domestic  and  foreign  suppliers.  All  suppliers  must  meet  certain 
requirements to do business with us. Our Terms of Engagement are part of our purchase order terms and conditions 
and  include  provisions  regarding  laws  and  regulations,  employment  practices,  ethical  standards,  environmental 
requirements, communication, monitoring and compliance, record keeping, subcontracting, and corrective action. We 
expect  that  all  suppliers  will  comply  with  our  purchase  terms  and  quickly  remediate  any  deficiencies,  if  noted,  to 
maintain our business relationship.

A  third-party  purchasing  agent  sources  approximately  20%  of  the  merchandise  we  sell.  No  vendor  individually 
accounted for more than 10% of our net purchases in 2021. We have no significant long-term purchase commitments 
with any of our suppliers and believe that we are not dependent on any one supplier or one geographical location. 
We believe we have good working relationships with our suppliers.

Seasonality

Our  business,  like  that  of  other  retailers,  is  subject  to  seasonal  influences.  Sales  and  income  are  typically  higher 
during the back-to-school and holiday seasons. Because of the seasonality of our business, results for any quarter 
are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year. 

Trademarks and Service Marks

KOHL'S® is a registered trademark owned by one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries. This subsidiary has over 200 
additional registered trademarks, most of which are used in connection with our private brand products.

We consider the KOHL'S® mark,  all other registered trademarks, and the accompanying goodwill to be valuable to 
our business.

Available Information

Our  corporate  website  is  https://corporate.kohls.com.  Through  the  “Investors”  portion  of  this  website,  we  make 
available,  free  of  charge,  our  proxy  statements,  Annual  Reports  on  Form  10-K,  Quarterly  Reports  on  Form  10-Q, 
Current Reports on Form 8-K, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Forms 3, 4, and 5, and any amendments 
to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as 
amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material has been filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

The  following  have  also  been  posted  on  our  website,  under  the  caption  “Investors”  and  sub-captions  "Corporate 
Governance" or “ESG”:





Committee  charters  of  our  Board  of  Directors’  Audit  Committee,  Compensation  Committee,  Finance 
Committee, and Nominating and ESG Committee

Corporate Governance Guidelines

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



Code of Ethics

Environmental, Social, and Governance Report (under “ESG” sub-caption)

The information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Paper copies of any of the 
materials listed above will be provided without charge to any shareholder submitting a written request to our Investor 
Relations  Department  at  N56  W17000  Ridgewood  Drive,  Menomonee  Falls,  Wisconsin  53051  or  via  e-mail  to 
Investor.Relations@Kohls.com.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

This Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” made within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation 
Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "intends," "will," "should," "expects," and 
similar  expressions  are  intended  to  identify  forward-looking  statements.  Forward-looking  statements  may  include 
comments  about  our  future  sales  or  financial  performance  and  our  plans,  performance  and  other  objectives, 
expectations  or  intentions,  such  as  statements  regarding  our  liquidity,  debt  service  requirements,  planned  capital 
expenditures, future store initiatives, and adequacy of capital resources and reserves. Forward-looking statements 
are based on management’s then current views and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and 
uncertainties  that  could  cause  actual  results  to  differ  materially  from  those  projected.  As  such,  forward-looking 
statements are qualified by those risk factors described below. Forward-looking statements relate to the date made, 
and we undertake no obligation to update them.

Our sales, revenues, gross margin, expenses, and operating results could be negatively impacted by a number of 
factors including, but not limited to those described below. Many of these risk factors are outside of our control. If we 
are not successful in managing these risks, they could have a negative impact on our sales, revenues, gross margin, 
expenses, and/or operating results.

Macroeconomic and Industry Risks

General economic conditions, consumer spending levels, and/or other conditions could decline.

Consumer  spending  habits,  including  spending  for  the  merchandise  that  we  sell,  are  affected  by  many  factors 
including prevailing economic conditions, levels of employment, salaries and wage rates, prevailing interest rates, 
housing costs, energy and fuel costs, income tax rates and policies, consumer confidence, consumer perception of 
economic  conditions,  and  the  consumer’s  disposable  income,  credit  availability,  and  debt  levels.  The  moderate-
income  consumer,  which  is  our  core  customer,  is  especially  sensitive  to  these  factors.  A  slowdown  in  the  U.S. 
economy or an uncertain economic outlook could adversely affect consumer spending habits. As all of our stores are 
located in the United States, we are especially susceptible to deteriorations in the U.S. economy.

Consumer confidence is also affected by the domestic and international political situation. The outbreak or escalation 
of war, or the occurrence of terrorist acts or other hostilities in or affecting the United States, could lead to a decrease 
in spending by consumers.

Our competitors could make changes to their pricing and other practices.

The retail industry is highly competitive. We compete for customers, associates, locations, merchandise, services, 
and other important aspects of our business with many other local, regional, and national retailers. Those competitors 
include traditional department stores, mass merchandisers, off-price retailers, specialty stores, internet businesses, 
and other forms of retail commerce.

We consider style, quality, price, and convenience to be the most significant competitive factors in our industry. The 
continuing  migration  and  evolution  of  retailing  to  digital  channels  have  increased  our  challenges  in  differentiating 
ourselves  from  other  retailers  especially  as  it  relates  to  national  brands.  In  particular,  consumers  can  quickly  and 

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conveniently comparison shop with digital tools, which can lead to decisions based solely on price. Unanticipated 
changes in the pricing and other practices of our competitors may adversely affect our performance and lead to loss 
of market share in one or more categories.

Tax and trade policies could adversely change.

Uncertainty with respect to tax and trade policies, tariffs, and government regulations affecting trade between the 
United  States  and  other  countries  has  recently  increased.  We  source  the  majority  of  our  merchandise  from 
manufacturers  located  outside  of  the  United  States,  primarily  in  Asia.  Major  developments  in  tax  policy  or  trade 
relations, such as the imposition of tariffs on imported products, could have a material adverse effect on our business, 
results of operations, and liquidity.

The  impact  of  COVID-19  could  continue  to  have  a  material  adverse  impact  on  our  business,  financial 
condition, and results of operations.

The impact of and actions taken in response to COVID-19 have had a significant impact on the retail industry generally 
and our business specifically, starting in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. At present, we cannot estimate the full 
impact  of  COVID-19,  but  we  expect  it  to  continue  to  have  a  material  adverse  impact  on  our  business,  financial 
condition, and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Revenues 

On March 20, 2020, we temporarily closed our stores nationwide. Our stores remained closed until May 4, 2020, as 
we began to reopen stores in a phased approach and were fully reopened as of July 2020. In connection with the 
store closures, we temporarily furloughed store and store distribution center associates, as well as some corporate 
office  associates  whose  work  was  significantly  reduced  by  the  store  closures.  Due  to  the  store  closures,  we 
experienced a temporary material decline in revenue and operating cash flow. We cannot predict if further outbreaks 
or new variants would necessitate store closures again.

Our response to COVID-19 may also impact our customer loyalty. If our customer loyalty is negatively impacted or 
consumer  discretionary  spending  habits  change,  including  in  connection  with  rising  levels  of  unemployment,  our 
market  share  and  revenue  may  suffer  as  a  result.  To  the  extent  the  pandemic  significantly  impacts  spending  or 
payment patterns of our private label credit card holders, we may receive lower fees from our private label credit card 
program.

Risks Relating to Operations 

If we are unable to attract and retain associates in the future, we may experience operational challenges. These risks 
related to our business, financial condition, and results of operations, are especially heightened given the uncertainty 
as to the extent and duration of COVID-19’s impact. We may also face demands or requests from our associates for 
additional compensation, healthcare benefits, or other terms as a result of COVID-19 that could increase costs, and 
we could experience labor disputes or disruptions as we continue to implement our COVID-19 mitigation plans. 

Our management team is focused on mitigating the impact of COVID-19, which required and will continue to require 
a large investment of time and focus. This focus on mitigating the impact of COVID-19 required us to take measures 
to make modifications to our stores and their operation to help protect the health and well-being of our customers, 
associates and others as they re-opened. To the extent these measures are ineffective or perceived as ineffective, it 
may harm our reputation and customer loyalty and make our customers less likely to shop in our stores.

Most of our corporate office associates continue to work remotely in a hybrid work environment. As a result, we face 
certain  operational  risks,  including  heightened  cybersecurity  risks  that  may  continue  past  the  time  when  our 

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associates return to work. We cannot predict if further outbreaks or new variants would necessitate corporate office 
closures again.

In addition, we cannot predict the continuing impact that COVID-19 will have on our suppliers, vendors, and other 
business partners, and each of their financial conditions; however, any material effect on these parties could adversely 
impact us.

Risks Relating to Liquidity 

In light of the impact of COVID-19 on our business, we took several actions in fiscal 2020 to increase our cash position 
and preserve financial flexibility, including drawing down our $1.0 billion senior unsecured revolver and replacing and 
upsizing the unsecured credit facility with a $1.5 billion senior secured, asset based revolving credit facility and issuing 
$600 million in aggregate principal amount of 9.50% notes due in 2025. As a result of these actions our long-term 
debt had increased substantially since February 1, 2020. However, we fully paid back the $1.5 billion in 2020 and we 
replaced that credit facility with an unsecured credit facility agreement under which no amounts were drawn down as 
of January 29, 2022. In addition, we completed a sale leaseback for our San Bernardino E-Commerce fulfillment and 
distribution center which generated net proceeds of $193 million after fees. 

While our access to capital is currently similar to that prior to the pandemic, future outbreaks or new variants could 
necessitate actions similar to those we took in fiscal 2020. As of January 29, 2022, we had credit ratings of Baa2/BBB-
/BBB- all with stable outlooks based on our recovery in fiscal 2021 and our liability management exercises earlier in 
the year. If our credit ratings were to be further downgraded, or general market conditions were to ascribe higher risk 
to our credit rating levels, our industry, or our Company, our access to capital and the cost of debt financing will be 
negatively impacted. Accordingly, a downgrade may cause our cost of borrowing to further increase. Further, COVID-
19  could  lead  to  further  disruption  and  volatility  in  the  capital  markets  generally,  which  could  increase  the  cost  of 
accessing  financing.  Our  access  to  additional  financing  and  its  cost  continues  to  depend  on  a  number  of  factors, 
including economic conditions, financing markets, and the outlook for our business and the retail industry as a whole.

In addition, the terms of future debt agreements could include more restrictive covenants, or require collateral, which 
may  further  restrict  our  business  operations  or  cause  future  financing  to  be  unavailable  due  to  our  covenant 
restrictions then in effect. Also, if we are unable to comply with the covenants under our revolving credit facility, the 
lenders  under  that  agreement  will  have  the  right  to  terminate  their  commitments  thereunder  and  declare  the 
outstanding loans thereunder to be immediately due and payable. A default under our revolving credit facility could 
trigger  a  cross-default,  acceleration,  or  other  consequences  under  other  indebtedness  or  financial  instruments  to 
which we are a party. There is no guarantee that debt financings will be available in the future to fund our obligations, 
or will be available on terms consistent with our expectations. Additionally, the impact of COVID-19 on the financial 
markets may adversely impact our ability to raise funds through additional financings.

COVID-19 could also cause or aggravate other risk factors that we identify in this section, which in turn could materially 
and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, COVID-19 may also affect 
our business, financial condition, and results of operations in a manner that is not presently known to us or that we 
currently do not consider to present significant risks to our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Operational Risks

We may be unable to offer merchandise that resonates with existing customers and attracts new customers 
as well as successfully manage our inventory levels.

Our  business  is  dependent  on  our  ability  to  anticipate  fluctuations  in  consumer  demand  for  a  wide  variety  of 
merchandise. Failure to accurately predict constantly changing consumer tastes, preferences, spending patterns, and 
other  lifestyle  decisions  could  create  inventory  imbalances  and  adversely  affect  our  performance  and  long-term 

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relationships with our customers. Additionally, failure to accurately predict changing consumer tastes may result in 
excess inventory, which could result in additional markdowns and adversely affect our operating results.

We may be unable to source merchandise in a timely and cost-effective manner.

A third-party purchasing agent sources approximately 20% of the merchandise we sell. The remaining merchandise 
is sourced from a wide variety of domestic and international vendors. Our ability to find qualified vendors and access 
to brands or products in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge which is typically even more difficult 
for goods sourced outside the United States, substantially all of which are shipped by ocean to ports in the United 
States. Political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, transport capacity and costs, 
pandemic outbreaks, work stoppages, port strikes, port congestion and delays, and other factors relating to foreign 
trade are beyond our control and have or could continue to adversely impact our performance and cause us to pay 
more to obtain inventory or result in having wrong inventory at the wrong time.

Increases in the price of merchandise, raw materials, fuel, and labor, or their reduced availability, could increase our 
cost  of  merchandise  sold.  The  price  and  availability  of  raw  materials  may  fluctuate  substantially,  depending  on  a 
variety of factors, including demand, weather, supply conditions, transportation costs, energy prices, work stoppages, 
government  regulation  and  policy,  economic  climates,  market  speculation,  and  other  unpredictable  factors.  An 
inability to mitigate these cost increases, unless sufficiently offset with our pricing actions, might cause a decrease in 
our operating results. Any related pricing actions might cause a decline in our sales volume. Additionally, a reduction 
in the availability of raw materials could impair the ability to meet production or purchasing requirements in a timely 
manner. Both the increased cost and lower availability of merchandise, raw materials, fuel, and labor may also have 
an adverse impact on our cash and working capital needs as well as those of our suppliers.

If any of our significant vendors were to become subject to bankruptcy, receivership, or similar proceedings, we may 
be  unable  to  arrange  for  alternate  or  replacement  contracts,  transactions,  or  business  relationships  on  terms  as 
favorable as current terms, which could adversely affect our sales and operating results.

Our vendors may not adhere to our Terms of Engagement or to applicable laws.

A substantial portion of our merchandise is received from vendors and factories outside of the United States. We 
require all of our suppliers to comply with all applicable local and national laws and regulations and our Terms of 
Engagement  for  Kohl's  Business  Partners.  These  Terms  of  Engagement  include  provisions  regarding  laws  and 
regulations,  employment  practices,  ethical  standards,  environmental  and  legal  requirements,  communication, 
monitoring/compliance, record keeping, subcontracting, and corrective action. From time to time, suppliers may not 
be  in  compliance  with  these  standards  or  applicable  laws.  Significant  or  continuing  noncompliance  with  such 
standards  and  laws  by  one  or  more  suppliers  could  have  a  negative  impact  on  our  reputation  and  our  results  of 
operations.

Our marketing may be ineffective.

We believe that differentiating Kohl's in the marketplace is critical to our success. We design our marketing and loyalty 
programs  to  increase  awareness  of  our  brands  and  to  build  personalized  connections  with  new  and  existing 
customers.  We  believe  these  programs  will  strengthen  customer  loyalty,  increase  the  number  and  frequency  of 
customers that shop our stores and website, and increase our sales. If our marketing and loyalty programs are not 
successful or efficient, our sales and operating results could be adversely affected.

The reputation and brand image of Kohl’s and the brands and products we sell could be damaged.

We believe the Kohl's brand name and many of our proprietary brand names are powerful sales and marketing tools. 
We  devote  significant  resources  to  develop,  promote,  and  protect  proprietary  brands  that  generate  national 
recognition. In some cases, the proprietary brands or the marketing of such brands are tied to or affiliated with well-

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known individuals. We also associate the Kohl’s brand with third-party national brands that we sell in our store and 
through our partnerships with companies in pursuit of strategic initiatives. Damage to the reputations (whether or not 
justified) of the Kohl’s brand, our proprietary brand names, or any affiliated individuals or companies with which we 
have partnered, could arise from product failures; concerns about human rights, working conditions, and other labor 
rights and conditions where merchandise is produced; perceptions of our pricing and return policies; litigation; vendor 
violations of our Terms of Engagement; perceptions of the national vendors and/or third party companies with which 
we partner; or various other forms of adverse publicity, especially in social media outlets. This type of reputational 
damage may result in a reduction in sales, operating results, and shareholder value.

There may be concerns about the safety of products that we sell.

If our merchandise offerings do not meet applicable safety standards or our customers' expectations regarding safety, 
we could experience lost sales, experience increased costs, and/or be exposed to legal and reputational risk. Events 
that give rise to actual, potential, or perceived product safety concerns could expose us to government enforcement 
action and/or private litigation. Reputational damage caused by real or perceived product safety concerns could have 
a negative impact on our sales and operating results.

We may be unable to adequately maintain and/or update our information systems.

The  efficient  operation  of  our  business  is  dependent  on  our  information  systems.  In  particular,  we  rely  on  our 
information systems to effectively manage sales, distribution, and merchandise planning and allocation functions. We 
also generate sales through the operations of our Kohls.com website. We frequently make investments that will help 
maintain and update our existing information systems. We also depend on third parties as it relates to our information 
systems. The potential problems and interruptions associated with implementing technology initiatives, the failure of 
our  information  systems  to  perform  as  designed,  or  the  failure  to  successfully  partner  with  our  third  party  service 
providers, such as our cloud platform providers, could disrupt our business and harm our sales and profitability.

Our information technology projects may not yield their intended results.

We regularly have internal information technology projects in process. Although the technology is intended to increase 
productivity and operating efficiencies, these projects may not yield their intended results or may deliver an adverse 
user or customer experience. We may incur significant costs in connection with the implementation, ongoing use, or 
discontinuation of technology projects, or fail to successfully implement these technology initiatives, or achieve the 
anticipated efficiencies from such projects, any of which could adversely affect our operations, liquidity, and financial 
condition. 

Weather conditions and natural disasters could adversely affect consumer shopping patterns and disrupt 
our operations.

A significant portion of our business is apparel and is subject to weather conditions. As a result, our operating results 
may be adversely affected by severe or unexpected weather conditions. Frequent or unusually heavy snow, ice, or 
rain storms; natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and hurricanes; or extended periods of 
unseasonable temperatures could adversely affect our performance by affecting consumer shopping patterns and 
diminishing  demand  for  seasonal  merchandise.  In  addition,  these  events  could  cause  physical  damage  to  our 
properties  or  impact  our  supply  chain,  making  it  difficult  or  impossible  to  timely  deliver  seasonally  appropriate 
merchandise. Although we maintain crisis management and disaster response plans, our mitigation strategies may 
be inadequate to address such a major disruption event. 

We may be unable to successfully execute an omnichannel strategy.

Customer expectations about the methods by which they purchase and receive products or services are evolving. 
Customers  are  increasingly  using  technology  and  mobile  devices  to  rapidly  compare  products  and  prices,  and  to 

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purchase  products.  Once  products  are  purchased,  customers  are  seeking  alternate  options  for  delivery  of  those 
products.  We  must  continually  anticipate  and  adapt  to  these  changes  in  the  purchasing  process.  Our  ability  to 
compete with other retailers and to meet our customers' expectations may suffer if we are unable to provide relevant 
customer-facing  technology  and  omnichannel  experiences.  Our  ability  to  compete  may  also  suffer  if  Kohl’s,  our 
suppliers, or our third-party shipping and delivery vendors are unable to effectively and efficiently fulfill and deliver 
orders, especially during the holiday season when sales volumes are especially high. Consequently, our results of 
operations could be adversely affected.

Our business is seasonal in nature, which could negatively affect our sales, revenues, operating results, and 
cash requirements.

Our business is subject to seasonal influences, with a major portion of sales and income historically realized during 
the second half of the fiscal year, which includes the back-to-school and holiday seasons.

If we do not adequately stock or restock popular products, particularly during the back-to-school and holiday seasons, 
we may fail to meet customer demand, which could affect our revenue and our future growth. If we overstock products, 
we  may  be  required  to  take  significant  inventory  markdowns  or  write-offs,  which  could  reduce  profitability. 
Underestimating customer demand, or failing to timely receive merchandise to meet demand, can lead to inventory 
shortages and missed sales opportunities, as well as negative customer experiences.

We  have  and  may  continue  to  experience  an  increase  in  costs  associated  with  shipping  digital  orders  due  to 
complimentary upgrades, split shipments, freight surcharges due to peak capacity constraints, and additional long-
zone shipments necessary to ensure timely delivery for the holiday season. If too many customers access our website 
within a short period of time, we may experience system interruptions that make our website unavailable or prevent 
us  from  efficiently  fulfilling  orders,  which  may  reduce  the  volume  of  goods  we  sell  and  the  attractiveness  of  our 
products and services. Also, third-party delivery and direct ship vendors may be unable to deliver merchandise on a 
timely basis.

This  seasonality  causes  our  operating  results  and  cash  needs  to  vary  considerably  from  quarter  to  quarter. 
Additionally,  any  decrease  in  sales  or  profitability  during  the  second  half  of  the  fiscal  year  could  have  a 
disproportionately adverse effect on our results of operations.

Changes in credit card operations could adversely affect our sales, revenues, and/or profitability.

Our credit card operations facilitate merchandise sales and generate additional revenue from fees related to extending 
credit. The proprietary Kohl's credit card accounts are owned by an unrelated third-party, but we share in the net risk-
adjusted revenue of the portfolio, which is defined as the sum of finance charges, late fees, and other revenue less 
write-offs of uncollectible accounts. Changes in funding costs related to interest rate fluctuations are shared similar 
to the revenue when interest rates exceed defined amounts. Though management currently believes that increases 
in  funding  costs  will  be  largely  offset  by  increases  in  finance  charge  revenue,  increases  in  funding  costs  could 
adversely impact the profitability of this program.

Changes in credit card use and applications, payment patterns, credit fraud, and default rates may also result from a 
variety of economic, legal, social, and other factors that we cannot control or predict with certainty. Changes that 
adversely impact our ability to extend credit and collect payments could negatively affect our results.

We  may  be  unable  to  attract,  develop,  and  retain  quality  associates  while  controlling  costs,  which  could 
adversely affect our operating results.

Our performance is dependent on attracting and retaining a large number of quality associates, including our senior 
management team and other key associates. Many associates are in entry-level or part-time positions with historically 
high rates of turnover. Many of our strategic initiatives require that we hire and/or develop associates with appropriate 

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experience. Our staffing needs are especially high during the holiday season. Competition for these associates is 
intense. We cannot be sure that we will be able to attract and retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel in future 
periods.

Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling costs is subject to external factors such as government benefits, 
unemployment levels and labor participation rates, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation, actions by our 
competitors in compensation levels, potential labor organizing efforts, and changing demographics. Competitive and 
regulatory pressures have already significantly increased our labor costs. Further changes that adversely impact our 
ability to attract and retain quality associates could adversely affect our performance and/or profitability. In addition, 
changes in federal and state laws relating to employee benefits, including, but not limited to, sick time, paid time off, 
leave of absence, minimum wage, wage-and-hour, overtime, meal-and-break time, and joint/co-employment could 
cause us to incur additional costs, which could negatively impact our profitability.

Our business could be impacted by a proxy contest for the election of directors at our 2022 Annual Meeting 
of Shareholders.

On February 10, 2022, Macellum Badger Fund LP (together with its affiliates, “Macellum”) announced the nomination 
of ten candidates for election to our Board of Directors at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. A proxy contest 
with Macellum for the election of directors could result in the Company incurring substantial costs, including proxy 
solicitation, public relations, and legal fees. Further, such a proxy contest could divert the attention of our Board of 
Directors, management, and employees, and may disrupt the momentum in our business and operations, as well as 
our ability to execute our strategic plan. The actions of Macellum may also create perceived uncertainties as to the 
future direction of our business or strategy, which may be exploited by our competitors and may make it more difficult 
to  attract  and  retain  qualified  personnel,  and  may  impact  our  relationship  with  investors,  vendors,  and  other  third 
parties. A proxy contest could also impact the market price and the volatility of our common stock.

Capital Risks

We  may  be  unable  to  raise  additional  capital  or  maintain  bank  credit  on  favorable  terms,  which  could 
adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We have historically relied on the public debt markets to raise capital to partially fund our operations and growth. We 
have also historically maintained lines of credit with financial institutions. Changes in the credit and capital markets, 
including  market  disruptions,  limited  liquidity,  and  interest  rate  fluctuations  may  increase  the  cost  of  financing  or 
restrict our access to these potential sources of future liquidity. Our continued access to these liquidity sources on 
favorable terms depends on multiple factors, including our operating performance and maintaining strong debt ratings. 
If our credit ratings fall below desirable levels, our ability to access the debt markets and our cost of funds for new 
debt issuances could be adversely impacted. Additionally, if unfavorable capital market conditions exist if and when 
we were to seek additional financing, we may not be able to raise sufficient capital on favorable terms and on a timely 
basis (if at all). If our access to capital was to become significantly constrained or our cost of capital was to increase 
significantly our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Our capital allocation could be inefficient or ineffective.

Our goal is to invest capital to maximize our overall long-term returns. This includes spending on inventory, capital 
projects  and  expenses,  managing  debt  levels,  and  periodically  returning  value  to  our  shareholders  through  share 
repurchases and dividends. To a large degree, capital efficiency reflects how well we manage our other key risks. 
The actions taken to address other specific risks may affect how well we manage the more general risk of capital 
efficiency.  If  we  do  not  properly  allocate  our  capital  to  maximize  returns,  we  may  fail  to  produce  optimal  financial 
results, and we may experience a reduction in shareholder value.

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Legal and Regulatory Risks

Regulatory  and  legal  matters  could  adversely  affect  our  business  operations  and  change  financial 
performance.

Various aspects of our operations are subject to federal, state, or local laws, rules, and regulations, any of which may 
change from time to time. The costs and other effects of new or changed legal requirements cannot be determined 
with certainty. For example, new legislation or regulations may result in increased costs directly for our compliance 
or indirectly to the extent such requirements increase prices of goods and services, reduce the availability of raw 
materials, or further restrict our ability to extend credit to our customers.

We continually monitor the state and federal legal and regulatory environments for developments that may impact us. 
Failure  to  detect  changes  and  comply  with  such  laws  and  regulations  may  result  in  an  erosion  of  our  reputation, 
disruption of business, and/or loss of associate morale. Additionally, we are regularly involved in various litigation 
matters that arise out of the conduct of our business. Litigation or regulatory developments could adversely affect our 
business operations and financial performance.

Our efforts to protect the privacy and security of sensitive or confidential customer, associate, or company 
information  could  be  unsuccessful,  which  could  severely  damage  our  reputation,  expose  us  to  risks  of 
litigation and liability, disrupt our operations, and harm our business.

As part of our normal course of business, we collect, retain, process, and transmit sensitive and confidential customer, 
associate,  and  company  information.  We  also  engage  third-party  vendors  that  provide  technology,  systems,  and 
services to facilitate our collection, retention, processing, and transmission of this information. It is possible that our 
facilities and systems and those of our third-party vendors are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, security breaches, 
system failures, acts of vandalism, fraud, misappropriation, malware, ransomware, and other malicious or harmful 
code, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, insider threats, or other similar events. The ever-
evolving and increasingly sophisticated methods of cyber-attack may be difficult or impossible to anticipate and/or 
detect. Any data security incident involving the breach, misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of 
sensitive and/or confidential information, whether by us or our vendors, could disrupt our operations, damage our 
reputation and customers' willingness to shop in our stores or on our website, violate applicable laws, regulations, 
orders  and  agreements,  and  subject  us  to  additional  costs  and  liabilities  which  could  be  material.  In  addition,  the 
regulatory environment related to data privacy and cybersecurity is constantly changing, with new and increasingly 
demanding requirements applicable to our business. Maintaining our compliance with those requirements, including 
recently enacted state consumer privacy laws, may increase our compliance costs, require changes to our business 
practices, limit our ability to use and collect data, impact our customers’ shopping experience, reduce our business 
efficiency, and subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or data breach litigation.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

Item 2. Properties

Stores

As of January 29, 2022, we operated 1,165 Kohl's stores with 82.2 million selling square feet in 49 states. Our typical 
store lease has an initial term of 20-25 years and four to eight five-year renewal options. Substantially all of our leases 
provide for a minimum annual rent that is fixed or adjusts to set levels during the lease term, including renewals. 
Some of our store leases provide for additional rent based on a percentage of sales over designated levels. 

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The following tables summarize key information about our Kohl's stores as of January 29, 2022:

Mid-Atlantic Region:

Northeast Region:

South Central Region:

Number of Stores by State

  Delaware
  Maryland
  Pennsylvania
  Virginia
  West Virginia

5
23
51
31
7

  Total Mid-Atlantic

117

  Connecticut
  Maine
  Massachusetts
  New Hampshire
  New Jersey
  New York
  Rhode Island
  Vermont
  Total Northeast

20
5
25
11
38
50
4
2
155

  Arkansas
  Kansas
  Louisiana
  Missouri
  Oklahoma
  Texas

8
11
7
27
11
86

  Total South Central

150

Midwest Region:

Southeast Region:

West Region:

  Illinois
  Indiana
  Iowa
  Michigan
  Minnesota
  Nebraska
  North Dakota
  Ohio
  South Dakota
  Wisconsin

  Alabama
  Florida
  Georgia
  Kentucky
  Mississippi
  North Carolina
  South Carolina
  Tennessee

66
41
18
46
28
8
4
59
4
41

14
51
33
18
5
31
17
20

  Total Midwest

315

  Total Southeast

189

Location

Strip centers
Freestanding
Community & regional malls

Distribution Centers

946
156
63

Owned
Leased
Ground leased

  Alaska
  Arizona
  California
  Colorado
  Idaho
  Montana
  Nevada
  New Mexico
  Oregon
  Utah
  Washington
  Wyoming
  Total West

Ownership

1
26
117
24
6
3
13
5
11
12
19
2
239

410
517
238

The following table summarizes key information about each of our distribution and e-fulfillment centers:

Store distribution centers:
  Findlay, Ohio
  Winchester, Virginia
  Blue Springs, Missouri
  Corsicana, Texas
  Mamakating, New York
  San Bernardino, California
  Macon, Georgia
  Patterson, California
  Ottawa, Illinois
E-commerce fulfillment centers:
  Monroe, Ohio
  San Bernardino, California
  Edgewood, Maryland
  DeSoto, Texas
  Plainfield, Indiana
  Etna, Ohio

15

Year
Opened

Square
Footage

1994
1997
1999
2001
2002
2002
2005
2006
2008

2001
2010
2011
2012
2017
2021

  780,000 
  450,000 
  540,000 
  540,000 
  605,000 
  575,000 
  560,000 
  365,000 
  330,000 

  1,225,000 
  970,000 
  1,450,000 
  1,515,000 
  975,000 
  1,300,000 

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We own all of the distribution and e-fulfillment centers except the San Bernardino, California locations and Corsicana, 
Texas, which are leased.

Corporate Facilities

We own our corporate headquarters in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. We also own or lease additional buildings and 
office space, which are used by various corporate departments, including our credit operations.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings but are subject to certain legal proceedings and claims 
from time to time that arise out of the conduct of our business.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 4A. Information about our Executive Officers

Our executive officers as of January 29, 2022 were as follows: 

Name
Michelle Gass
Doug Howe
Jill Timm
Marc Chini
Paul Gaffney
Jason Kelroy
Greg Revelle

Michelle Gass

Age
53 
61 
48 
63 
55 
47 
44 

Position
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Merchandising Officer
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Technology & Supply Chain Officer
Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Ms. Gass has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a director since May 2018. Ms. Gass was promoted to 
CEO-elect in October 2017. She was named Chief Merchandising and Customer Officer in June 2015, and joined the 
Company  in  2013  as  Chief  Customer  Officer.  Ms.  Gass  has  more  than  30  years  of  experience  in  the  retail  and 
consumer goods industries. Prior to joining the Company, she spent more than 16 years with Starbucks holding a 
variety of leadership roles across marketing, strategy, merchandising, and operations, including president, Starbucks 
Europe, Middle East, and Africa. She began her career with Procter & Gamble. Ms. Gass has received numerous 
professional honors, including being named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and Businessperson of 
the  Year  lists,  as  well  as  being  named  The  Visionary  2020  by  the  National  Retail  Federation.  Ms.  Gass  currently 
serves on the Board of Directors for PepsiCo, Retail Industry Leaders Association, National Retail Federation, and 
Children’s Wisconsin. 

Doug Howe

Mr. Howe has served as Chief Merchandising Officer since May 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Howe served 
as global chief merchandising officer at the Qurate Retail Group where he led QVC and HSN’s product leadership 
agenda. Mr. Howe has also held leadership positions in merchandising and product development with QVC, Gap Inc., 
Walmart, and May Department Stores. Mr. Howe has more than 25 years of retail experience.

Jill Timm

Ms.  Timm  has  served  as  Senior  Executive  Vice  President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  since  November  2019.  Ms. 
Timm joined the Company in 1999 and has held a number of progressive leadership roles across several areas of 
finance, most recently having served as executive vice president of finance. Prior to joining the Company, she served 
as senior auditor at Arthur Anderson LLP. Ms. Timm has more than 20 years of experience in the retail industry.

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Marc Chini

Mr. Chini has served as Senior Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer since November 2018. Prior to joining 
the  Company,  Mr.  Chini  served  as  chief  human  resource  officer  of  Synchrony  Financial  where  he  built  the  newly 
public company’s human resources strategy and function. Mr. Chini has also held a variety of chief human resources 
officer roles across multiple GE business units including NBC Universal, GE Aviation & Locomotive, and GE Industrial 
Solutions. Mr. Chini has more than 25 years of human resources experience.

Paul Gaffney

Mr. Gaffney has served as Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer since September 2019, and 
his role was expanded to Chief Technology and Supply Chain Officer in April 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. 
Gaffney served in a number of technology leadership roles, including chief technology officer of Dick’s Sporting Goods 
where he led the company’s digital transformation, and senior vice president of information technology at The Home 
Depot, where he was responsible for the organization’s software engineering, user-centered design, and applications. 
Mr. Gaffney has also held leadership roles at Keeps Inc., AAA of Northern California, Nevada & Utah, and Desktone, 
Inc. Mr. Gaffney has more than 25 years of technology experience. 

Jason Kelroy

Mr. Kelroy has served as Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since August 
2020. He joined the Company in 2004 as Legal Counsel and has held a number of progressive leadership roles, 
serving as General Counsel since 2015. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kelroy served as an associate at the law 
firm  of  Vorys,  Sater,  Seymour  and  Pease  LLP.  Mr.  Kelroy  has  more  than  20  years  of  experience  practicing  law, 
including over 15 years in the retail industry. 

Greg Revelle

Mr. Revelle has served as Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer since April 2018. He joined the 
Company in April 2017 as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining the Company, he served 
in a number of executive leadership roles, including chief marketing officer at Best Buy, chief marketing officer and 
general  manager  of  e-commerce  at  AutoNation,  Vice  President  of  world  online  marketing  at  Expedia,  and  an 
investment banker at Credit Suisse. Mr. Revelle currently serves on the Board of Directors for Cars.com. Mr. Revelle 
has more than 10 years of marketing and retail industry experience.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity 
Securities

Market information

Our Common Stock has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") since May 19, 1992, under the 
symbol “KSS.” 

On February 28, 2022, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per common share. The 
dividend will be paid on March 30, 2022 to shareholders of record as of March 16, 2022. In 2021, we paid aggregate 
cash dividends of $147 million.

Holders

As of March 9, 2022, there were approximately 3,400 record holders of our Common Stock.

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Table of Contents

Performance Graph

The graph below compares our cumulative five-year shareholder return to that of the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500 
Index  and  a  Peer  Group  Index  that  is  consistent  with  the  compensation  peer  group  used  in  the  Compensation 
Discussion & Analysis section of our Proxy Statement for our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Peer Group 
Index was calculated by S&P Global, a Standard & Poor’s business and includes Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.; Best Buy 
Co., Inc.; Burlington Stores, Inc.; DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.; Dollar Tree, Inc.; Foot Locker, Inc.; The Gap, Inc.; 
Macy’s, Inc.; Nordstrom, Inc.; Ross Stores, Inc.; The TJX Companies, Inc.; and Ulta Beauty, Inc. The Peer Group 
Index  is  weighted  by  the  market  capitalization  of  each  component  company  at  the  beginning  of  each  period.  The 
graph assumes an investment of $100 on January 28, 2017 and reinvestment of dividends. The calculations exclude 
trading commissions and taxes.

Company / Index
Kohl’s Corporation
S&P 500 Index
Peer Group Index

Jan 28,
 2017

Feb 3,
 2018

Feb 2,
 2019

Feb 1,
 2020

Jan 30,
 2021

Jan 29,
 2022

$100.00
  100.00 
  100.00 

$171.53
  122.83 
  113.44 

$186.59
  122.76 
  124.96 

$125.80
  149.23 
  138.66 

$134.46
  174.97 
  155.67 

$186.92
  211.72 
  165.75 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities

We did not sell any equity securities in fiscal year 2021 that were not registered under the Securities Act.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

In April 2021, our Board of Directors increased the remaining share repurchase authorization under our existing share 
repurchase  program  to  $2.0  billion.  In  February  2022,  our  Board  of  Directors  increased  the  remaining  share 
repurchase  authorization  under  our  existing  share  repurchase  program  to  $3.0  billion.  Purchases  under  the 
repurchase program may be made in the open market, through block trades, and other negotiated transactions. We 
expect to execute the share repurchase program primarily in open market transactions, subject to market conditions. 
There is no fixed termination date for the repurchase program, and the program may be suspended, discontinued, or 
accelerated at any time.

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Table of Contents

The  following  table  contains  information  for  shares  repurchased  and  shares  acquired  from  employees  in  lieu  of 
amounts required to satisfy minimum tax withholding requirements upon the vesting of the employees’ restricted stock 
during the three fiscal months ended January 29, 2022:

Total
Number
of Shares
Purchased
During
Period
  3,365,248 
  4,757,698 
  2,313,892 
  10,436,838 

Total Number
of Shares
Purchased as
Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs

Approximate
Dollar Value of
Shares that May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs
(Dollars in Millions)

Average
Price
Paid Per
Share

$56.58
  50.25 
  51.67 
$52.61

  3,364,274 
  4,742,940 
  2,313,737 
  10,420,951 

$1,033
  795 
  675 

Period
October 31 - November 27, 2021
November 28, 2021 – January 1, 2022
January 2 - January 29, 2022
Total

Item 6. Reserved

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Executive Summary

Kohl's is a leading omnichannel retailer operating 1,165 stores and a website (www.Kohls.com) as of January 29, 
2022. Our Kohl's stores and website sell moderately-priced private and national brand apparel, footwear, accessories, 
beauty,  and  home  products.  Our  Kohl's  stores  generally  carry  a  consistent  merchandise  assortment  with  some 
differences attributable to local preferences, store size, and Sephora. Our website includes merchandise which is 
available in our stores, as well as merchandise that is available only online.

Key financial results for 2021 included:















Record earnings of $6.32 per diluted share on a GAAP basis and $7.33 per diluted share on an adjusted 
non-GAAP basis*

Strong financial position, ending the year with $1.6 billion in cash

Repurchased $1.4 billion of shares

Net sales increased 22.9% to last year

Gross margin was 38.1% of net sales, a 700 basis point increase from last year

SG&A increased 9.1% and leveraged as a percent of total revenue by 328 basis points to last year

Achieved a 8.6% operating margin

*Please see the “GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation” for a reconciliation of earnings per diluted share to adjusted 
earnings per diluted share.

COVID-19

As discussed in our 2020 Form 10-K, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant adverse effects on our business. 
We are closely monitoring the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its continued impact on our business. 
We cannot estimate with certainty the length or severity of this pandemic, or the extent to which the disruption may 
materially impact our Consolidated Financial Statements. In 2021, we saw momentum in our business which allowed 
us to resume our capital allocation strategy including reinstating dividends, resuming our share repurchase program, 
and employing liability management strategies.

Comparison of Financial Results to 2019

Due to the significant impact of COVID-19 on 2020 operating results, we are providing the below comparisons to 
2019 to provide additional context.







Net sales decreased 2.2% with digital sales increasing 30%.

Gross margin as a percent of net sales increased 237 basis points driven by strong inventory management 
and our pricing and promotion optimization strategies, partially offset by higher freight costs.

SG&A decreased 4.0% and leveraged as a percent of total revenue by 37 basis points driven by marketing 
and technology efficiencies.

Our Vision and Strategy 

The Company’s vision is to be “the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle” and its strategy 
is focused on delivering long-term shareholder value. Key strategic focus areas for the Company include: driving top 
line growth, delivering a 7% to 8% operating margin, maintaining disciplined capital management, and sustaining an 
agile, accountable, and inclusive culture.

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Driving Top Line Growth

Our initiatives include building a sizable beauty business with Sephora, driving continued growth in our active and 
outdoor  business,  reigniting  growth  in  the  women’s  business,  enhancing  our  brand  portfolio,  opening  new  stores, 
leading with loyalty and value, and further growing digital.  We have already taken significant steps in many of these 
areas, such as successfully launching our strategic partnership with Sephora in 2021 by opening the first 200 shop-
in-shops and offering a comprehensive digital experience, driving strong sales growth of more than 40% in our active 
and outdoor business, and introducing new brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Eddie Bauer.  

Delivering a 7% to 8% Operating Margin

The  Company  is  committed  to  delivering  an  operating  margin  of  7%  to  8%.  Our  gross  margin  initiatives  include 
disciplined  inventory  management  and  increased  inventory  turn,  efficient  sourcing,  and  optimized  pricing  and 
promotion strategies. Our initiatives to drive selling, general, and administrative expense efficiency are focused on 
labor productivity, across our stores and fulfillment centers, marketing, and technology expenses.

Maintaining Disciplined Capital Management

We are committed to prudent balance sheet management with the long-term objective of sustaining Kohl’s Investment 
Grade credit rating. The Company has a long history of strong cash flow generation, investing in the business, and 
returning significant capital to shareholders—all of which will remain important in the future.

Sustaining an Agile, Accountable, and Inclusive Culture

Fostering  a  diverse,  equitable,  and  inclusive  environment  for  Kohl’s  associates,  customers,  and  suppliers  is  an 
important focus of ours. We have a diversity and inclusion framework that includes a number of key initiatives across 
three pillars: Our People, Our Customers, and Our Communities. In addition, we continue to build on the Company’s 
commitment to Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (“ESG”). We have established 2025 goals related 
to climate change, waste and recycling, and sustainable sourcing, and Kohl’s has earned many ESG-related awards.

2022 Outlook

Our current expectations for 2022 are as follows:

 Net sales
 Operating margin
 Earnings per diluted share
 Capital expenditures
 Share repurchases

 Increase 2% - 3% 
 7.2% - 7.5%
 $7.00 - $7.50
 $850 million
 At least $1 billion

Results of Operations

For our comparison and discussion of 2020 and 2019, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial 
Condition and Results of Operations in Part II of our 2020 Form 10-K.

Net Sales

Net sales includes revenue from the sale of merchandise, net of expected returns, and shipping revenue.

Comparable sales is a measure that highlights the performance of our stores and digital channel by measuring the 
change in sales for a period over the comparable, prior-year period of equivalent length. Comparable sales includes 
all store and digital sales, except sales from stores open less than 12 months, stores that have been closed, and 
stores where square footage has changed by more than 10%. We measure the change in digital sales by including 

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all sales initiated online or through mobile applications, including omnichannel transactions which are fulfilled through 
our stores.

As our stores were closed for a period during 2020, we have not included a discussion of 2020 or 2021 comparable 
sales as we do not believe it is a meaningful metric over this period of time.

We  measure  digital  penetration  as  digital  sales  over  net  sales.  These  amounts  do  not  take  into  consideration 
fulfillment node, digital returns processed in stores, and coupon behaviors.

Comparable sales and digital penetration measures vary across the retail industry. As a result, our comparable sales 
calculation  and  digital  penetration  are  non-GAAP  measures  that  may  not  be  consistent  with  the  similarly  titled 
measures reported by other companies.

The following graph summarizes net sales dollars and comparable sales over the prior year:

2021 compared to 2020

Net sales increased $3.4 billion, or 22.9%, to $18.5 billion for 2021. 









The increase in net sales was driven by higher sales in our stores.

Digital sales were flat to 2020. Digital penetration represented 32% of net sales in 2021.

Men's, Footwear, Women's, and Accessories outperformed the Company average.

Active outperformed the Company average increasing more than 40% to 2020. Active represented 24% 
of sales in 2021.

Other Revenue

Other revenue includes revenue from credit card operations, third-party advertising on our website, unused gift cards 
and merchandise return cards (breakage), and other non-merchandise revenue.

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The following graph summarizes other revenue:

Other revenue increased $38 million in 2021. The increase in 2021 was driven by an increase in credit revenue due 
to lower write-off activity partially offset by lower accounts receivable balances associated with decreased sales in 
2020 and higher payment rates in 2021. 

Cost of Merchandise Sold and Gross Margin

Cost of merchandise sold includes the total cost of products sold, including product development costs, net of vendor 
payments  other  than  reimbursement  of  specific,  incremental,  and  identifiable  costs;  inventory  shrink;  markdowns; 
freight expenses associated with moving merchandise from our vendors to our distribution centers; shipping expenses 
for digital sales; terms cash discount; and depreciation of product development facilities and equipment. Our cost of 
merchandise  sold  may  not  be  comparable  with  that  of  other  retailers  because  we  include  distribution  center  and 
buying costs in selling, general, and administrative expenses while other retailers may include these expenses in cost 
of merchandise sold.

The following graph summarizes cost of merchandise sold and gross margin as a percent of net sales:

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Table of Contents

Gross  margin  is  calculated  as  net  sales  less  cost  of  merchandise  sold.  Gross  margin  as  a  percent  of  net  sales 
increased 700 basis points in 2021. In 2021, gross margin benefited from strong inventory management driven by 
inventory  turnover  of  4.1  times  for  the  year  and  further  scaling  our  pricing  and  promotion  optimization  strategies, 
partially offset by incremental transportation costs related to the constrained global supply chain. In executing against 
our strategy, we have structurally improved our margin efficiency and are confident in our ability to sustain the recent 
improvement, while we are also monitoring industry-wide supply chain uncertainties and cost inflation. 

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

SG&A  includes  compensation  and  benefit  costs  (including  stores,  corporate,  buying,  and  distribution  centers); 
occupancy and operating costs of our retail, distribution, and corporate facilities; freight expenses associated with 
moving merchandise from our distribution centers to our retail stores and among distribution and retail facilities other 
than expenses to fulfill digital sales; marketing expenses, offset by vendor payments for reimbursement of specific, 
incremental, and identifiable costs; expenses related to our credit card operations; and other administrative revenues 
and expenses. We do not include depreciation and amortization in SG&A. The classification of these expenses varies 
across the retail industry.

Many of our expenses, including store payroll and distribution costs, are variable in nature. These costs generally 
increase  as  sales  increase,  and  decrease  as  sales  decrease.  We  measure  both  the  change  in  these  variable 
expenses and the expense as a percent of revenue. If the expense as a percent of revenue decreased from the prior 
year, the expense "leveraged". If the expense as a percent of revenue increased over the prior year, the expense 
"deleveraged".

The following graph summarizes the changes in SG&A by expense type between 2020 and 2021:

SG&A increased $457 million, or 9.1%, to $5.5 billion for 2021. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A leveraged by 328 
basis points as we continue to deliver against our efforts to drive marketing and technology efficiency and improve 
store productivity, which more than offset increased wage pressure across our stores and distribution centers.

The  increase  was  primarily  driven  by  increases  in  store,  marketing,  distribution,  and  credit  expenses  as  sales 
recovered and expenses normalized after our store closures last year due to COVID-19. Distribution costs, which 
exclude  payroll  related  to  online  originated  orders  that  were  shipped  from  our  stores,  were  $449  million  for  2021 
compared to $346 million for 2020. Corporate expenses also increased due to the retention credit benefit we were 
eligible for under The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in 2020. Partially offsetting 
the increase in SG&A expense was a decrease in technology expense driven by a more balanced staffing model.

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Table of Contents

Wage inflation remained a headwind as the employment market remained very tight. We will continue to monitor our 
positioning  in  the  market  to  ensure  that  we  remain  competitive.  We  will  look  to  mitigate  the  higher  costs  through 
increased store productivity and efficiency across other areas of the business.

Other Expenses

(Dollars in Millions)
Depreciation and amortization
Impairments, store closing, and other costs
(Gain) on the sale of real estate
Interest expense, net
Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt

2021

2020

2019

$838
  — 
  — 
  260 
  201 

$874
  89 
  (127)
  284 
  — 

$917
  113 
  — 
  207 
  (9)

Depreciation and amortization decreases in 2021 were driven by reduced capital spending in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Impairments, store closing, and other costs in 2020 included total asset impairments of $68 million, which consisted 
of  $51  million  related  to  capital  reductions  and  strategy  changes  due  to  COVID-19  and  $17  million  related  to 
impairments of corporate facilities and lease assets. It also included a $21 million corporate restructuring charge, $15 
million in brand exit costs, and a $2 million contract termination fee due to COVID-19, offset by a $13 million gain on 
an investment previously impaired and $4 million gain on lease termination. 

(Dollars in Millions)
Severance, early retirement, and other
Impairments:

  Buildings and other store assets
  Intangible and other assets

Impairments, store closings, and other costs

2021

2020

2019

$—

  — 
  — 
$—

$21

  18 
  50 
$89

$40

  52 
  21 
$113

In 2020, we recognized a gain of $127 million from the sale leaseback transaction of our San Bernardino E-commerce 
fulfillment and distribution centers.

Net interest expense decreased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the benefit of debt reductions as a result of our 
liability management strategies employed during 2021 and because no amounts were outstanding during 2021 on 
the revolving credit facility. Offsetting this decrease was an increase in interest expense related to more financing 
leases.

In 2021, we completed a cash tender offer and recognized a loss of $201 million from the extinguishment of debt. 

Income Taxes

(Dollars in Millions)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
Effective tax rate

2021

2020

2019

$281
23.1%

$(383)
70.2%

$210
23.3%

Our effective tax rate in 2021 is less than the effective tax rate in 2020 primarily due to the 2020 rate including the  
benefit for the net operating loss carryback provision from the CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020. This provision 
allows  losses  generated  in  2020  to  be  carried  back  to  the  five  preceding  years,  which  include  years  in  which  the 
statutory tax rate was 35%.

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Table of Contents

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share Data)
2021
  GAAP
  Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt
  Impairments, store closing, and other costs
  (Gain) on sale of real estate
  Income tax impact of items noted above
  Adjusted (non-GAAP)
2020
  GAAP
  Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt
  Impairments, store closing, and other costs
  (Gain) on sale of real estate
  Income tax impact of items noted above
  Adjusted (non-GAAP)
2019
  GAAP
  Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt
  Impairments, store closing, and other costs
  (Gain) on sale of real estate
  Income tax impact of items noted above
  Adjusted (non-GAAP)

Operating Income 
(Loss)

Income (Loss) 
before Income 
Taxes

Net Income 
(Loss)

Earnings (Loss) per 
Diluted Share

$1,680
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
$1,680

$1,219
  201 
  — 
  — 
  — 
$1,420

$938
  201 
  — 
  — 

$6.32
  1.35 
  — 
  — 
  (50)                 (0.34)
$7.33

$1,089

$(262)
  — 
                89 
  (127)
  — 
$(300)

$(546)
  — 
                89 
  (127)
  — 
$(584)

$(163)
$(1.06)
  — 
  — 
                 0.58 
           89 
        (127)                 (0.82)
                 0.09 
           15 
$(1.21)
$(186)

$1,099
  — 
  113 
  — 
  — 
$1,212

$901
  (9)
  113 
  — 
  — 
$1,005

$691

$4.37
            (9)                 (0.06)
                 0.71 
         113 
  — 
  — 
          (26)                 (0.16)
$4.86

$769

We believe the adjusted results in the table above are useful because they provide enhanced visibility into our results 
for the periods excluding the impact of certain items such as those included in the table above. However, these non-
GAAP financial measures are not intended to replace the comparable GAAP measures.

Inflation

In addition to COVID-19, we expect that our operations will continue to be influenced by general economic conditions, 
including food, fuel, and energy prices, higher unemployment, wage inflation, and costs to source our merchandise, 
including tariffs. There can be no assurances that such factors will not impact our business in the future.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Allocation

Our capital allocation strategy is to invest to maximize our overall long-term return, maintain a strong balance sheet, 
and maintain our investment grade rating. We follow a disciplined approach to capital allocation based on the following 
priorities: first we invest in opportunities to drive long-term profitability in our business as well as maintain our current 
operations; second we pay a quarterly dividend with a goal to increase it annually; and third we return excess cash 
to  shareholders  through  our  share  repurchase  program.  In  addition,  when  appropriate,  we  will  complete  liability 
management transactions, and look for profitable mergers and acquisitions opportunities.

Our period-end cash and cash equivalents balance decreased to $1.6 billion from $2.3 billion in 2020. Our cash and 
cash equivalents balance includes short-term investments of $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion as of January 29, 2022, and 
January 30, 2021, respectively. Our investment policy is designed to preserve principal and liquidity of our short-term 
investments.  This  policy  allows  investments  in  large  money  market  funds  or  in  highly  rated  direct  short-term 
instruments. We also place dollar limits on our investments in individual funds or instruments.

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The following table presents our primary uses and sources of cash:

Cash Uses

•  Operational needs, including salaries, rent, taxes, and 
other operating costs

•   Inventory

•   Capital expenditures

•   Dividend payments

•   Share repurchases

•   Debt reduction

Cash Sources

•  Cash flow from operations

•   Line of credit under our revolving credit facility

•   Issuance of debt

The following table includes cash balances and changes:

(Dollars in Millions)
Cash and cash equivalents
Net cash provided by (used in):

    Operating activities
    Investing activities
    Financing activities
Free cash flow (a)

2021

2020

2019

$1,587

$2,271

$723

$2,271
  (570)
  (2,385)
$1,556

$1,338
  (137)
  347 
$908

$1,657
  (837)
  (1,031)
$700

(a) Non-GAAP financial measure. Please see the “GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation” for a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by 

operating activities.

Operating Activities

Our operating cash outflows generally consist of payments to our employees for wages, salaries and other employee 
benefits, payments to our merchandise vendors for inventory (net of vendor allowances), payments to our shipping 
carriers, and payments to our landlords for rent. Operating cash outflows also include payments for income taxes and 
interest payments on our debt borrowings.

Operating activities generated cash of $2.3 billion in 2021 compared to $1.3 billion in 2020. The increase was primarily 
due to an increase in net income resulting from increased sales due to the impact of COVID-19 last year and a tax 
refund received in 2021 related to the net loss we incurred in 2020 and the carryback provision under the CARES 
Act. Partially offsetting this was increased inventory purchases in 2021 due to reduced inventory receipts in 2020 in 
response to COVID-19.

Investing Activities

Our  investing  cash  outflows  include  payments  for  capital  expenditures,  including  investments  in  new  and  existing 
stores, improvements to supply chain, and technology costs. Our investing cash inflows are generally from proceeds 
from sales of property and equipment.

Net cash used in Investing activities increased $433 million to $570 million in 2021. The increase was driven by in-
store  investments  related  to  Sephora  buildouts,  refreshes,  and  other  customer  experience  and  sales  driving 
enhancements; our new e-commerce fulfillment center that opened in 2021. In addition, 2020 included proceeds from 
the sale of our San Bernardino E-commerce fulfillment and distribution centers.

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The following chart summarizes capital expenditures by major category:  

We launched 200 Sephora shop-in-shops in 2021 with plans for 400 additional shop-in-shops in 2022, and reaching 
at least 850 total shop-in-shops by 2023. In 2022, we anticipate capital expenditures of approximately $850 million to 
support the expansion our Sephora shop-in-shops, new stores and improvements to existing stores, and technology 
investment. We will continue to invest in a differentiated omni-channel experience to modernize the store experience, 
continue digital growth, and further enhance our omni-channel capabilities.

Financing Activities

Our financing strategy is to ensure liquidity and  access to capital markets. We also strive to maintain a balanced 
portfolio of debt maturities, while minimizing our borrowing costs. Our ability to access the public debt market has 
provided us with adequate sources of liquidity. Our continued access to these markets depends on multiple factors, 
including the condition of debt capital markets, our operating performance, and maintaining strong credit ratings.

If our credit ratings were lowered, our ability to access the public debt markets, our cost of funds, and other terms for 
new debt issuances could be adversely impacted. Each of the credit rating agencies reviews its rating periodically 
and there is no guarantee our current credit ratings will remain the same.

The majority of our financing activities include repurchases of common stock, proceeds and/or repayments of long-
term debt, and dividend payments.

Financing activities used $2.4 billion in 2021 compared to generating cash of $347 million 2020.

In  March  2021,  we  issued  $500  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of  3.375%  notes  with  semi-annual  interest 
payments beginning in November 2021. The notes include coupon rate step ups if our long-term debt is downgraded 
to below a BBB- credit rating by S&P Global Ratings or Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. The notes mature in 
May 2031.

In  April  2021,  we  completed  a  cash  tender  offer  for  $1.0  billion  of  senior  unsecured  debt.  We  recognized  a  $201 
million loss on extinguishment of debt in the first quarter of 2021, which includes the $192 million tender premium 
paid to tendering note holders in accordance with the terms of the tender offer, a $6 million non-cash write-off of 
deferred financing costs and original issue discounts associated with the extinguished debt, and $3 million in other 
fees.

In October 2021, we entered into a Credit Agreement with various lenders which provides for a $1.0 billion senior 
unsecured five-year revolving credit facility that will mature in October 2026 and replaced our existing senior secured 
revolving credit facility. Among other things, the agreement includes a maximum leverage ratio financial covenant 

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and restrictions on liens and subsidiary indebtedness, all of which are generally consistent with the prior 2019 senior 
unsecured five-year revolving credit facility. We may request an increase in revolving credit commitments under the 
facility of up to $500 million in certain circumstances. Events of default under the Credit Agreement include, among 
other things, a change of control of the Company and the Company’s default on other debt exceeding $75 million. No 
borrowings were outstanding on the credit facility in place as of January 29, 2022 or January 30, 2021.

In March 2020, we fully drew down our $1.0 billion senior unsecured revolver. In April 2020, we replaced and upsized 
the unsecured credit facility with a $1.5 billion senior secured, asset based revolving credit facility maturing in July 
2024. 

In  April  2020,  we  issued  $600  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of  9.50%  notes  with  semi-annual  interest 
payments beginning in November 2020. The notes include coupon rate step ups if our long-term debt is downgraded 
to below a BBB- credit rating by S&P Global Ratings or Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. The notes mature in 
May 2025. We used part of the net proceeds from this offering to repay $500 million of the borrowings under our 
senior secured, asset based revolving credit facility with the remainder for general corporate purposes.

In October 2020, we fully repaid $1.0 billion outstanding on the revolver and had $1.5 billion available for utilization.

We paid cash for treasury stock purchases of $1.4 billion in 2021 compared to $8 million in 2020. During the first 
quarter of 2021, we reinstated our share repurchase program which had been suspended in the first quarter of 2020 
in response to COVID-19. Share repurchases are discretionary in nature. The timing and amount of repurchases are 
based upon available cash balances, our stock price, and other factors.

Cash dividend payments were $147 million ($1.00 per share) in 2021 and $108 million ($0.704 per share) in 2020. 
During the first quarter of 2021, we reinstated our dividend program which had been suspended beginning in the 
second quarter of 2020 in response to COVID-19. On February 28, 2022, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly 
cash dividend on our common stock of $0.50 per share. The dividend is payable March 30, 2022 to shareholders of 
record at the close of business on March 16, 2022.

As of January 29, 2022, our credit ratings and outlook were as follows:

  Long-term debt
  Outlook

Free Cash Flow

Moody’s
Baa2
Stable

Standard & 
Poor’s
BBB-
Stable

Fitch
BBB-
Stable

We generated $1.6 billion of free cash flow for 2021 compared to $908 million in 2020. The increase is primarily due 
to strong earnings resulting in an increase in net cash provided by operating activities, and an IRS refund related to 
the 2020 loss carryback, partially offset by an increase in capital spending from 2020 levels that were impacted by 
our response to COVID-19. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure which we define as net cash provided 
by operating activities and proceeds from financing obligations (which generally represent landlord reimbursements 
of construction costs) less capital expenditures and finance lease and financing obligation payments. Free cash flow 
should be evaluated in addition to, and not considered a substitute for, other financial measures such as net income 
and  net  cash  provided  by  operating  activities.  We  believe  that  free  cash  flow  represents  our  ability  to  generate 
additional cash flow from our business operations.

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The following table reconciles net cash provided by operating activities (a GAAP measure) to free cash flow (a non-
GAAP measure):

(Dollars in Millions)
Net cash provided by operating activities
Acquisition of property and equipment
Finance lease and financing obligation payments
Proceeds from financing obligations
Free cash flow

2021

2020

2019

$2,271
  (605)
  (125)
            15 
$1,556

$1,338
  (334)
  (105)
              9 
$908

$1,657
  (855)
  (113)
  11 
$700

Key Financial Ratios

Key financial ratios that provide certain measures of our liquidity are as follows:

(Dollars in Millions)
Working capital
Current ratio

2021

2020

$1,737
  1.53 

$2,813
  1.93 

Our  working  capital  and  inventory  levels  typically  build  throughout  the  fall,  peaking  during  the  November  and 
December holiday selling season. Due to COVID-19, typical working capital and inventory patterns did not occur in 
2021.

The decrease in our working capital and current ratio are primarily due to lower cash balances as a result of higher 
share repurchases, higher capital expenditures, the cash tender offer, and fewer proceeds from the sale of real estate, 
partially offset by an increase in cash provided by operating activities.

Return on Investment Ratio

The following table shows our return on investment ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure):

Adjusted return on gross investment ("ROI")

14.9%

4.7%

12.7%

2021

2020

2019

Changes in earnings drove changes in our return on investment ratio. The prior year calculations have been revised 
to be consistent with our current year presentation. We have revised our calculation of Adjusted Gross Investment in 
the Adjusted ROI calculation to replace the lease assets presented under US GAAP with eight times cash rent for 
operating leases, finance leases, and financial obligations. Management believes this normalizes for timing within the 
lease  term  and  the  impact  of  lease  amendments  triggered  by  our  investment  in  the  Sephora  shop-in-shops.  The 
impact to prior years were reductions of 20 bps and 70 bps in 2020 and 2019 respectively.

We believe that Adjusted ROI is a useful financial measure in evaluating our operating performance. When analyzed 
in conjunction with our net earnings and total assets, it provides investors with a useful tool to evaluate our ongoing 
operations and our management of assets from period to period. Adjusted ROI is a non-GAAP financial measure 
which we define as earnings before interest, taxes,  depreciation, amortization, and rent (“EBITDAR”) adjusted for 
certain  one-time  items  divided  by  adjusted  average  gross  investment.  Adjusted  EBITDAR  is  a  useful  non-GAAP 
measure that excludes items that are non-operating in nature and focuses on items that are key to our operating 
performance. Our  Adjusted  ROI  calculation  may  not  be  comparable  to  similarly titled  measures  reported by other 
companies. Adjusted ROI should be evaluated in addition to, and not considered a substitute for, other GAAP financial 
measures. See the key financial ratio calculations below for our Adjusted ROI calculation.

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Capital Structure Ratio

The following table shows our capital structure ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure):

Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR

2021

2020

  2.33 

  7.70 

The decrease in our Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR ratio is primarily due to higher operating income. The prior 
year calculation has been revised to be consistent with our current year presentation. We have revised our calculation 
of Adjusted Debt in our Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR calculation to replace the lease obligations presented 
under  US  GAAP  with  eight  times  cash  rent  for  operating  leases,  finance  leases,  and  financial  obligations. 
Management believes this normalizes for timing within the lease term and the impact of lease amendments triggered 
by our investment in the Sephora shop-in-shops. This results in a 2020 adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR of 7.70 
versus the previous reported 7.59.

Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR is a non-GAAP financial measure which we define as our adjusted outstanding 
debt balance divided by adjusted EBITDAR. We believe that our debt levels are best analyzed using this measure. 
Our current goals are to maintain a ratio that demonstrates our commitment to an investment grade rating and allows 
us to operate with an efficient capital structure for our size, growth plans, and industry. Our adjusted debt to adjusted 
EBITDAR calculation may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures reported by other companies. Adjusted debt 
to adjusted EBITDAR should be evaluated in addition to, and not considered a substitute for, other GAAP financial 
measures.  See  the  key  financial  ratio  calculations  section  below  for  our  adjusted  debt  to  adjusted  EBITDAR 
calculation.

Our  senior  unsecured  five-year  revolving  credit  facility  includes  a  maximum  leverage  ratio  financial  covenant  and 
restrictions  on  liens  and  subsidiary  indebtedness,  all  of  which  are  generally  consistent  with  the  prior  2019  senior 
unsecured five-year revolving credit facility. As of January 29, 2022, we were in compliance with all covenants and 
expect  to  remain  in  compliance  during  2022.  The  calculation  represented  above  is  generally  consistent  with  the 
language in our credit facility.

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Key Financial Ratio Calculations

The following table includes our ROI calculation. All ratios are non-GAAP financial measures:

(Dollars in Millions)
Operating (loss) income
Depreciation and amortization
Rent expense
EBITDAR
Impairments, store closing, and other costs
(Gain) on sale of real estate
Adjusted EBITDAR
Average: (a)

2021

2020

2019

$1,680
  838 
  298 
        2,816 
  — 
  — 
$2,816

$(262)
  874 
  314 
           926 
             89 
  (127)
$888

$1,099
  917 
  314 
        2,330 
           113 
  — 
$2,443

Total assets

Cash equivalents and long-term investments (b)

Other assets
Accumulated depreciation and amortization
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Other long-term liabilities

$14,802
  (393)
  (31)
  6,854 
  (1,495)
  (1,264)
  (231)
$18,242
$(3,559)
  4,547 
$19,230
12.7%
(a) Represents  average  of  five  most  recent  quarter-end  balances.  For  2019,  fourth  quarter  2018  balances  were  adjusted  to  reflect  the  impact  of  the  new  lease 

Gross investment (“AGI”)
Less: Operating lease, finance lease, and financing obligation assets
Add: Cash-based lease equivalent debt (c)
Adjusted gross investment ("AGI")
Adjusted ROI (d)

$15,308
  (1,779)
  (52)
  7,916 
  (1,633)
  (1,308)
  (375)
$18,077
$(3,861)
  4,650 
$18,866
14.9%

$15,288
  (1,704)
  (30)
  7,414 
  (1,559)
  (1,193)
  (275)
$17,941
$(3,442)
  4,383 
$18,882
4.7%

accounting standard. 

(b) Represents excess cash not required for operations. 

(c) Represents  eight  times  cash  rent  for  operating  leases,  finance  leases,  and  financial  obligations.  A  calculation  of  cash  rent  can  be  found  in  Note  3  of  the 

Consolidated Financial Statements.

(d)

Adjusted EBITDAR divided by adjusted gross investment.

The following table includes our adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR calculation:

2021

2020

(Dollars in Millions)
Finance lease and financing obligations
Long-term debt
Total debt
Operating leases
Total debt (including operating leases)
Less: Operating lease, finance lease, and financing obligation liabilities
Add: Cash-based lease equivalent debt (a)
Adjusted debt
Operating income
Depreciation and amortization
Rent expense
EBITDAR
Impairments, store closing, and other costs
(Gain) on sale of real estate
Adjusted EBITDAR
Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR

$1,502
         2,451 
$3,953
         2,786 
$6,739
  (4,288)
  4,383 
$6,834
$(262)
  874 
  314 
$926
  89 
  (127)
$888
  7.70 
(a) Represents  eight  times  cash  rent  for  operating  leases,  finance  leases,  and  financial  obligations.    A  calculation  of  cash  rent  can  be  found  in  Note  3  of  the 

$2,251
         1,910 
$4,161
         2,624 
$6,785
  (4,875)
  4,650 
$6,560
$1,680
  838 
  298 
$2,816
  — 
  — 
$2,816
  2.33 

Consolidated Financial Statements

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Contractual Obligations 

Material contractual obligations arising in the normal course of business primarily consist of long-term debt and related 
interest payments, principal and interest payments for leases, and other purchase obligations. See Notes 2 and 3 to 
the Consolidated Financial Statements for amounts outstanding on January 29, 2022 related to debt and leases.

Other purchase obligations primarily include royalties, legally binding minimum lease and interest payments for stores 
opening in 2022 or later, as well as payments associated with technology, marketing, and donation agreements. The 
obligations were $582 million as of January 29, 2022.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not provided any financial guarantees as of year-end 2021.

We have not created, and are not party to, any special-purpose or off-balance sheet entities for the purpose of raising 
capital, incurring debt, or operating our business. We do not have any arrangements or relationships with entities that 
are not consolidated into the financial statements that are reasonably likely to materially affect our financial condition, 
liquidity, results of operations, or capital resources. 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  accounting  principles  generally  accepted  in  the  United 
States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts. Management has discussed the 
development, selection, and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of our Board 
of Directors. 

Retail Inventory Method and Inventory Valuation

Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market using the retail inventory method (“RIM”). Under 
RIM, the valuation of inventory at cost and the resulting gross margins are calculated by applying a cost-to-retail ratio 
to the retail value of inventory. RIM is an averaging method that has been widely used in the retail industry due to its 
practicality.  The  use  of  RIM  will  result  in  inventory  being  valued  at  the  lower  of  cost  or  market  since  permanent 
markdowns are taken as a reduction of the retail value of inventories. A reserve is recorded if the future estimated 
selling price is less than cost.

RIM  inherently  requires  management  judgment  and  estimates,  such  as  the  amount  and  timing  of  permanent 
markdowns to clear unproductive or slow-moving inventory, which may impact the ending inventory valuation as well 
as gross margin. Factors considered in the determination of permanent markdowns include current and anticipated 
demand, customer preferences, age of the merchandise, fashion trends, and weather conditions.

Inventory shrinkage is estimated as a percent of sales for the period between the last physical inventory count and 
the balance sheet date. Shrink is the difference between the recorded amount of inventory and the physical inventory. 
We perform an annual physical inventory count at the majority of our stores, E-Commerce fulfillment centers, and 
distribution centers. The shrinkage rate from the most recent physical inventory, in combination with current events 
and  historical  experience,  is  used  as  the  standard  for  the  shrinkage  accrual  rate  for  the  next  inventory  cycle. 
Historically, our actual physical inventory count results have shown our estimates to be reliable.

Vendor Allowances

We frequently receive allowances from our vendors for markdowns that we have taken in order to sell the vendor’s 
merchandise and/or to support gross margins earned on those sales. This markdown support generally relates to 
sold inventory or permanent markdowns and, accordingly, is reflected as a reduction to cost of merchandise sold. 
Markdown support related to merchandise that has not yet been sold is recorded in inventory.

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We  also  receive  support  from  vendors  for  marketing  and  other  costs  that  we  have  incurred  to  sell  the  vendors’ 
merchandise. To the extent the reimbursements are for specific, incremental, and identifiable costs incurred to sell 
the vendor's products and do not exceed the costs incurred, they are recognized as a reduction of selling, general, 
and administrative expenses. If these criteria are not met, the support is recorded in inventory and reflected as a 
reduction of costs of merchandise sold when the related merchandise is sold.

Insurance Reserve Estimates

We are primarily self-insured for costs related to workers’ compensation, general liability, and employee-related health 
care benefits. We use a third-party actuary to estimate the liabilities associated with these risks. The actuary considers 
historical  claims  experience,  demographic  and  severity  factors,  health  care  trends,  and  actuarial  assumptions  to 
estimate  the  liabilities  associated  with  these  risks.  Historically,  our  actuarial  estimates  have  not  been  materially 
different from actual results.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We review our long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances, such as decisions to close 
a store or significant cash flow losses, indicate the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. All long-lived 
assets are reviewed for impairment at least annually.

If our evaluations, which are performed on an undiscounted cash flow basis, indicate that the carrying amount of the 
asset may not be recoverable, the potential impairment is measured as the excess of carrying value over the fair 
value of the impaired asset.

Identifying  impaired  assets  and  quantifying  the  related  impairment  loss,  if  any,  requires  significant  estimates  by 
management. The most significant of these estimates is the cash flow expected to result from the use and eventual 
disposition of the asset. When determining the stream of projected future cash flows associated with an individual 
store,  management  estimates  future  store  performance  including  sales,  gross  margin,  and  controllable  expenses, 
such as store payroll and occupancy expense. Projected cash flows must be estimated for future periods throughout 
the remaining life of the property, which may be as many as 40 years in the future. The accuracy of these estimates 
will be impacted by a number of factors including general economic conditions, changes in competitive landscape, 
and our ability to effectively manage the operations of the store.

Income Taxes

We regularly evaluate the likelihood of realizing the benefit for income tax positions we have taken in various federal 
and state filings by considering all relevant facts, circumstances, and information available to us. If we believe it is 
more likely than not that our position will be sustained, we recognize a benefit at the largest amount which we believe 
is cumulatively greater than 50% likely to be realized.

Unrecognized tax benefits require significant management judgment regarding applicable statutes and their related 
interpretation, the status of various income tax audits, and our particular facts and circumstances. Also, as audits are 
completed or statutes of limitations lapse, it may be necessary to record adjustments to our taxes payable, deferred 
tax assets, tax reserves, or income tax expense. Although we believe we have adequately reserved for our uncertain 
tax positions, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different. Income taxes 
are further described in Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Leases

Accounting  for  leased  properties  requires  compliance  with  technical  accounting  rules  and  significant  judgment  by 
management.  Application  of  these  accounting  rules  and  assumptions  made  by  management  will  determine  if  the 
lease is accounted for as a finance lease, an operating lease, or a financing obligation.

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The following are significant estimates used by management in accounting for real estate and other leases:







Accounting  lease  term—Our  accounting  lease  term  includes  all  noncancelable  periods  and  renewal 
periods  that  are  reasonably  assured  of  being  exercised.  Typically,  renewal  options  are  considered 
reasonably assured of being exercised if we have made significant leasehold improvements that would 
exceed the initial or renewal lease term and the cash flow performance of the store remains strong. The 
expected lease term is used in determining whether the lease is accounted for as an operating lease or a 
finance lease. 

Incremental borrowing rate—The incremental borrowing rate is the rate of interest that the lessee would 
have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments 
in a similar economic environment. The incremental borrowing rate is used in determining whether the 
lease is accounted for as an operating lease or a finance lease. 

Fair market value of leased asset—The fair market value of leased retail property is generally estimated 
based on comparable market data as provided by third-party appraisers or consideration received from 
the landlord. Fair market value is used in determining whether the lease is accounted for as an operating 
lease or a finance lease.

Leases are further described in Note 3 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Sephora Arrangement

In  2020,  we  entered  into  an  arrangement  with  Sephora  to  be  the  exclusive  beauty  offering  and  bring  a 
transformational, elevated beauty experience to Kohl’s. We sell prestige beauty products through Sephora-branded 
retail shop-in-shops in certain Kohl’s stores and through a Sephora-branded offering on Kohls.com. We opened 200 
shop-in shops in 2021 and are planning to open another 400 stores in 2022 and 250 in 2023.

Both parties to the arrangement are active participants and are exposed to significant risks and rewards dependent 
on  the  success  of  the  activities  of  the  arrangement.  The  arrangement  involves  various  activities  including  the 
merchandising, marketing, and operations of the shops and Kohls.com. Kohl’s is the principal on sales transactions 
with our customers and we recognize sales, cost of merchandise sold, and operating expenses in the respective lines 
on our consolidated statements of income. Kohl’s owns and manages the inventory and funds capital expenditures 
for  the  arrangement.  The  parties  share  equally  in  the  operating  profit  of  the  partnership  which  incorporates  all 
expenses to run the partnership including depreciation expense related to the assets. Amounts due to Sephora for 
their share of the operating profits are recorded in Cost of merchandise sold.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Our operating results are subject to interest rate risk as the $600 million of notes issued in April 2020, $113 million of 
which remain outstanding, and the $500 million of notes issued in March 2021 include coupon rate step ups if our 
long-term debt is downgraded to below a BBB- credit rating by S&P Global Ratings or Baa3 by Moody's Investors 
Service, Inc. All other long-term debt is at fixed interest rates and, therefore, is not affected by changes in interest 
rates. When our long-term debt instruments mature, we may refinance them at the existing market interest rates, 
which may be more or less than interest rates on the maturing debt.

We share in the net risk-adjusted revenue of the Kohl’s credit card portfolio as defined by the sum of finance charges, 
late  fees,  and  other  revenue  less  write-offs  of  uncollectible  accounts.  We  also  share  the  costs  of  funding  the 
outstanding receivables as interest rates exceed defined rates. As a result, our share of profits from the credit card 
portfolio may be negatively impacted by increases in interest rates. The reduced profitability, if any, will be impacted 
by various factors, including our ability to pass higher funding costs on to the credit card holders and the outstanding 
receivable balance, and cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Page

Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 42).....................................................
Consolidated Balance Sheets ....................................................................................................................................
Consolidated Statements of Operations...................................................................................................................
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity ............................................................................
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows .................................................................................................................
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements...........................................................................................................
1. Business and Summary of Accounting Policies ...............................................................................................
2. Debt .........................................................................................................................................................................
3. Leases.....................................................................................................................................................................
4. Benefit Plans ..........................................................................................................................................................
5. Income Taxes.........................................................................................................................................................
6. Stock-Based Awards.............................................................................................................................................
7. Contingencies ........................................................................................................................................................

37
40
41
42
43
44
44
50
51
54
54
56
58

Schedules have been omitted as they are not applicable.

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Kohl’s Corporation

Opinion on the Financial Statements 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Kohl’s Corporation (the “Company“) as of January 
29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity 
and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended January 29, 2022, and the related notes (collectively 
referred to as the “consolidated financial statements“). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present 
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, and 
the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 29, 2022, in 
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022, based on criteria 
established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway  Commission  (2013  framework)  and  our  report  dated  March  17,  2022  expressed  an  unqualified  opinion 
thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company‘s management. Our responsibility is to express an 
opinion on the Company‘s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with 
the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal 
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the  financial  statements  are  free  of  material 
misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material 
misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to 
those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures 
in  the  financial  statements.  Our  audits  also  included  evaluating  the  accounting  principles  used  and  significant 
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe 
that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters 

The  critical  audit  matters  communicated  below  are  matters  arising  from  the  current  period  audit  of  the  financial 
statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to 
accounts  or  disclosures  that  are  material  to  the  financial  statements  and  (2)  involved  our  especially  challenging, 
subjective or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion 
on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters 
below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

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Description of 
the Matter

Merchandise Inventories

At  January  29,  2022,  the  Company’s  merchandise  inventories  balance  was  $3.1  billion.  As 
described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, merchandise inventories are valued 
at the lower of cost or market using the retail inventory method (“RIM”). Under RIM, the valuation 
of inventory at cost and the resulting gross margins are calculated by applying a cost-to-retail 
ratio to the retail value of inventory. RIM is an averaging method that has been widely used in the 
retail industry due to its practicality. The use of RIM results in inventory valued at lower of cost or 
market since permanent markdowns are taken as a reduction to the retail value of inventories.

The calculation of inventory under RIM includes a number of inputs including the retail value of 
inventory and adjustments to inventory costs such as markdown allowances, shrinkage, volume 
rebates and permanent markdowns. As a result of the number of inputs, the relatively higher level 
of  automation  impacting  the  inventory  process,  and  the  involvement  of  multiple  software 
applications used to capture the high volume of transactions processed by the Company, auditing 
inventory  requires  extensive  audit  effort.  In  addition,  the  inventory  process  is  supported  by  a 
number of automated and IT dependent controls that elevate the importance of the IT general 
controls  that  support  the  underlying  software  applications  including  those  developed  by  the 
Company.

How We 
Addressed the 
Matter in Our 
Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of 
controls over the Company’s inventory process, including the RIM calculation and underlying IT 
general controls, and controls over the data transfers between applications.

Our substantive audit procedures included, among others, evaluating the key inputs into the RIM 
calculation,  including  purchases,  sales,  shrinkage,  vendor  allowances  and  markdowns.  Our 
testing included agreeing data back to source information including third party vendor invoices, 
third  party  inventory  count  information,  and  cash  receipts.  We  also  performed  analytical 
procedures  including  margin  analysis,  analytics  with  respect  to  key  inventory  metrics  such  as 
shrinkage,  turns  and  store  inventory  in  conjunction  with  analysis  related  to  markdowns  and 
purchase price adjustments. 

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

Description of 
the Matter

As  described  in  Note  5  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  at  January  29,  2022,  the 
Company  had  gross  unrecognized  tax  benefits  of  $276  million.  The  Company’s  uncertain  tax 
positions are subject to audit by federal and state taxing authorities, and the resolution of such 
audits may span multiple years.

Management’s analysis of extent to which its tax positions in certain jurisdictions are more-likely-
than-not to be sustained was significant to our audit because the amounts are material to the 
financial  statements  and  the  related  assessment  process  is  complex  and  involves  significant 
judgments.  Such  judgments  included  the  interpretation  of  laws,  regulations,  and  tax  rulings 
related to uncertain tax positions.

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How We 
Addressed the 
Matter in Our 
Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design, and tested the operating effectiveness of 
controls over the Company’s process to assess whether tax positions are more-likely-than-not 
to be sustained upon examination. For example, we tested controls over management’s 
identification of uncertain tax positions and its application of the recognition and measurement 
principles, including management’s review of the inputs and calculations of unrecognized tax 
benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions.

To test management’s recognition and measurement of liabilities associated with uncertain tax 
positions, our audit procedures included, among others, evaluation of the status of open income 
tax examinations and the potential implications of those examinations on the current year 
income tax provision based on the application of income tax laws. We analyzed the Company’s 
assumptions and data used to determine the amount of tax benefit to recognize and tested the 
accuracy of the calculations. We also tested the technical merits of existing positions, including 
an evaluation of whether the positions are more-likely-than-not to be sustained in an 
examination and the statute of limitations assumptions related to the Company’s calculation of 
liabilities for uncertain tax positions. We involved our tax professionals to assist in the 
evaluation of tax law relative to the Company’s open income tax examinations. 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1986.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
March 17, 2022

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(Dollars in Millions)
Assets
Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents
Merchandise inventories
Other

Total current assets

Property and equipment, net
Operating leases
Other assets

Total assets

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:

Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Current portion of:

Finance leases and financing obligations
Operating leases

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt
Finance leases and financing obligations
Operating leases
Deferred income taxes
Other long-term liabilities
Shareholders’ equity:

KOHL’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

$1,587
  3,067 
  369 
  5,023 
  7,304 
  2,248 
  479 
$15,054

$1,683
  1,340 

  118 
  145 
  3,286 
  1,910 
  2,133 
  2,479 
  206 
  379 

$2,271
  2,590 
  974 
  5,835 
  6,689 
  2,398 
  415 
$15,337

$1,476
  1,270 

  115 
  161 
  3,022 
  2,451 
  1,387 
  2,625 
  302 
  354 

Common stock - 377 and 377 million shares issued
Paid-in capital
Treasury stock, at cost, 246 and 219 million shares
Retained earnings

Total shareholders’ equity
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

  4 
  3,375 
  (12,975)
  14,257 
$4,661
$15,054

  4 
  3,319 
  (11,595)
  13,468 
$5,196
$15,337

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share Data)
Net sales
Other revenue
Total revenue
Cost of merchandise sold
Operating expenses:

Selling, general, and administrative
Depreciation and amortization
Impairments, store closing, and other costs
(Gain) on sale of real estate

Operating income (loss)
Interest expense, net
Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt
Income (loss) before income taxes
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
Net income (loss)
Net income (loss) per share:

Basic
Diluted

2021
$18,471
962 
19,433 
  11,437 

2020
$15,031
924 
15,955 
  10,360 

2019
$18,885
1,089 
19,974 
  12,140 

  5,478 
  838 
  — 
  — 
  1,680 
  260 
  201 
  1,219 
  281 
$938

$6.41
$6.32

  5,021 
  874 
  89 
  (127)
  (262)
  284 
  — 
  (546)
  (383)
$(163)

$(1.06)
$(1.06)

  5,705 
  917 
  113 
  — 
  1,099 
  207 
  (9)
  901 
  210 
$691

$4.39
$4.37

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share Data)
Common stock

Balance, beginning of period
Stock-based awards
Balance, end of period

Paid-in capital

Balance, beginning of period
Stock-based awards
Balance, end of period

Treasury stock

Balance, beginning of period
Treasury stock purchases
Stock-based awards
Dividends paid
Balance, end of period

Retained earnings

Balance, beginning of period
Change in accounting standard (a)
Net (loss) earnings
Dividends paid
Balance, end of period

2021

2020

2019

$4
  — 
$4

$4
  — 
$4

$4
  — 
$4

$3,319
               56 
$3,375

$3,272
               47 
$3,319

$3,204
               68 
$3,272

$(11,595)
          (1,355)
              (27)
                 2 
$(12,975)

$(11,571)
                (8)
              (22)
                 6 
$(11,595)

$(11,076)
             (470)
              (31)
                 6 
$(11,571)

$13,468
  — 
              938 
             (149)
$14,257

$13,745
  — 
             (163)
             (114)
$13,468

$13,395
  88 
              691 
             (429)
$13,745

Total shareholders' equity, end of period

$4,661

$5,196

$5,450

Common stock

Shares, beginning of period
Stock-based awards
Shares, end of period

Treasury stock

Shares, beginning of period
Treasury stock purchases
Shares, end of period

Total shares outstanding, end of period

Dividends paid per common share

(a)

Adoption of new lease accounting standard in 2019.

              377 
  — 
              377 

              375 
                 2 
              377 

              374 
                 1 
              375 

             (219)
  (27)
             (246)
              131 

             (219)
  — 
             (219)
              158 

             (211)
                (8)
             (219)
              156 

$1.00

$0.704

$2.68

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Dollars in Millions)
Operating activities
Net income (loss)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by 
operating activities:

2021

2020

2019

$938

$(163)

$691

Depreciation and amortization
Share-based compensation
Deferred income taxes
Impairments, store closing, and other costs
(Gain) on sale of real estate
Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt
Non-cash inventory costs
Non-cash lease expense
Other non-cash expense
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Merchandise inventories
Other current and long-term assets
Accounts payable
Accrued and other long-term liabilities
Operating lease liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities
Investing activities
Acquisition of property and equipment
Proceeds from sale of real estate
Other
Net cash used in investing activities
Financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of debt
Deferred financing costs
Treasury stock purchases
Shares withheld for taxes on vested restricted shares
Dividends paid
Reduction of long-term borrowing
Premium paid on redemption of debt
Finance lease and financing obligation payments
Proceeds from financing obligations
Proceeds from stock option exercises
Other
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
Supplemental information

Interest paid, net of capitalized interest
Income taxes paid

  838 
  48 
  (92)
  — 
  — 
  201 
  — 
  139 
  12 

  (467)
  569 
  206 
  21 
  (142)
  2,271 

  (605)
  35 
  — 
  (570)

  500 
  (8)
  (1,355)
  (27)
  (147)
  (1,044)
  (192)
  (125)
  15 
  1 
  (3)
  (2,385)
  (684)
  2,271 
$1,587

$246
  370 

  874 
  40 
  18 
  64 
  (127)
  — 
  187 
  149 
  22 

  768 
  (813)
  270 
  199 
  (150)
  1,338 

  (334)
  197 
  — 
  (137)

  2,097 
  (19)
  (8)
  (22)
  (108)
  (1,497)
  — 
  (105)
  9 
  — 
  — 
  347 
  1,548 
  723 
$2,271

$254
  419 

  917 
  56 
  51 
  64 
  — 
  (9)
  — 
  150 
  11 

  (51)
  48 
  19 
  (134)
  (156)
  1,657 

  (855)
  — 
  18 
  (837)

  — 
  — 
  (470)
  (31)
  (423)
  (6)
  — 
  (113)
  11 
  1 
  — 
  (1,031)
  (211)
  934 
$723

$193
  172 

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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1. Business and Summary of Accounting Policies

Business

As of January 29, 2022, we operated 1,165 stores and a website (www.Kohls.com). Our Kohl's stores and website 
sell moderately-priced private and national brand apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and home products. Our 
Kohl's  stores  generally  carry  a  consistent  merchandise  assortment  with  some  differences  attributable  to  local 
preferences, store size, and Sephora. Our website includes merchandise which is available in our stores, as well as 
merchandise which is available only online. 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 800 million shares of $0.01 par value common stock and 10 million shares of 
$0.01 par value preferred stock. 

Consolidation

The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  include  the  accounts  of  Kohl’s  Corporation  and  its  subsidiaries  including 
Kohl’s, Inc., its primary operating company. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Accounting Period

Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31st each year. Unless otherwise stated, references to years 
in these notes relate to fiscal years rather than to calendar years. The following fiscal periods are presented in these 
notes:

Fiscal Year
2021
2020
2019

Ended
January 29, 2022
January 30, 2021
February 1, 2020

Number of Weeks
  52 
  52 
  52 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make 
estimates  and  assumptions  that  affect  the  amounts  reported  in  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  and 
accompanying  notes.  We  believe  that  our  accounting  estimates  are  appropriate  and  reflect  the  increased 
uncertainties surrounding the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Actual results could differ from those 
estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

In addition to money market investments, cash equivalents include commercial paper and certificates of deposit with 
original maturities of three months or less. We carry these investments at cost which approximates fair value.

Also included in cash and cash equivalents are amounts due from credit card transactions with settlement terms of 
less than five days. Credit and debit card receivables included within cash were $64 million at January 29, 2022 and 
$77 million at January 30, 2021.

Merchandise Inventories

Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market using the Retail Inventory Method (“RIM”). Under 
RIM, the valuation of inventory at cost and the resulting gross margins are calculated by applying a cost-to-retail ratio 
to the retail value of inventory. RIM is an averaging method that has been widely used in the retail industry due to its 
practicality.  The  use  of  RIM  will  result  in  inventory  being  valued  at  the  lower  of  cost  or  market  since  permanent 
markdowns are taken as a reduction of the retail value of inventories. A reserve is recorded if the future estimated 
selling price is less than cost.

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Other Current Assets

Other current assets consist of the following:

(Dollars in Millions)
Other Receivables
Prepaids
Income taxes receivable
Other
Other current assets (a)

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

$175
  164 
  15 
  15 
$369

$179
  172 
  610 
  13 
$974

(a) See Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion on income taxes.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consist of the following:

(Dollars in Millions)
Land
Buildings and improvements:

Owned
Leased

Fixtures and equipment
Information technology
Construction in progress

Total property and equipment, at cost

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

Property and equipment, net

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

$1,109

$1,091

  8,035 
  1,754 
  1,609 
  2,774 
  84 
  15,365 
  (8,061)
$7,304

  7,783 
  963 
  1,267 
  2,855 
  313 
  14,272 
  (7,583)
$6,689

Construction in progress includes property and equipment which is not ready for its intended use.

Property and equipment are recorded at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the 
straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Owned buildings and improvements include owned 
buildings on owned and leased land as well as leasehold improvements on leased properties. Leased property and 
improvements to leased property are amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease or useful life of the 
asset, whichever is less. Leases are further described in Note 3 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The annual provisions for depreciation and amortization generally use the following ranges of useful lives:

Buildings and improvements
Fixtures and equipment
Information technology

5-40 years
3-15 years
3-8 years

Long-Lived Assets

All  property  and  equipment  and  other  long-lived  assets  are  reviewed  for  potential  impairment  at  least  annually  or 
when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset’s carrying value may not be recoverable. If such 
indicators are present, it is determined whether the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows attributable 
to such assets is less than the carrying value of the assets. A potential impairment has occurred if projected future 
undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of the assets. No impairments were recorded in 2021. We 
recorded impairments of $68 million in 2020 in Impairments, store closing, and other costs of which $51 million was 
due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and $17 million was related to impairments of corporate facilities and 
leases. We recorded impairments of $73 million in 2019 in Impairments, store closing, and other costs.

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Leases

In the first quarter of 2020, we negotiated rent deferrals for a significant number of our stores, with repayment at later 
dates, primarily in the third and fourth quarter of 2020 and the first half of 2021. These concessions provide a deferral 
of rent payments with no substantive changes to the original contract. Consistent with updated guidance from the 
Financial  Accounting  Standards Board (“FASB”)  in  April  2020,  we  have  elected  to  treat the  COVID-19  pandemic-
related rent deferrals as accrued liabilities. We continued to recognize expense during the deferral periods.

Other Noncurrent Assets

Other noncurrent assets consist of the following:

(Dollars in Millions)
Income taxes receivable
Deferred tax assets
Other
Other noncurrent assets (a)

January 29, 2022
$300
  39 
  140 
$479

January 30, 2021

$232
  42 
  141 
$415

(a) See Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion on income taxes.

Accrued Liabilities

Accrued liabilities consist of the following:

(Dollars in Millions)
Gift cards and merchandise return cards
Sales, property and use taxes
Payroll and related fringe benefits
Income taxes payable
Accrued capital
Other
Accrued liabilities

January 29, 2022 January 30, 2021
$339
  196 
  229 
  10 
  10 
  486 
$1,270

$353
  181 
  150 
  106 
  85 
  465 
$1,340

Self-Insurance

We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risks.

We retain the initial risk of $500,000 per occurrence in workers’ compensation claims and $250,000 per occurrence 
in general liability claims. We record reserves for workers’ compensation and general liability claims which include 
the total amounts that we expect to pay for a fully developed loss and related expenses, such as fees paid to attorneys, 
experts, and investigators. 

We are fully self-insured for employee-related health care benefits, a portion of which is paid by our associates.

We use a third-party actuary to estimate the liabilities associated with workers’ compensation, general liability, and 
employee-related health care risks. These liabilities include amounts for both reported claims and incurred, but not 
reported losses. The total liabilities, net of collateral held by third parties, for these risks were $47 million as of January 
29, 2022 and $52 million as of January 30, 2021.

For property losses we are subject to a $5 million self-insured retention ("SIR"). Once the SIR is incurred, each loss 
is  subject  to  a  $250,000  deductible,  except  flood  in  high  hazard  zones  is  subject  to  a  $1  million  deductible  and 
catastrophic events, such as earthquakes and windstorms, are subject to a 2-5% deductible.  

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Treasury Stock

We account for repurchases of common stock and shares withheld in lieu of taxes when restricted stock vests using 
the  cost  method  with  common  stock  in  treasury  classified  in  the  Consolidated  Balance  Sheets  as  a  reduction  of 
shareholders’ equity.

Revenue Recognition

Net Sales

Net sales includes revenue from the sale of merchandise and shipping revenues. Net sales are recognized when 
merchandise is received by the customer and we have fulfilled all performance obligations. We do not have any sales 
that are recorded as commissions.

The following table summarizes net sales by line of business:

(Dollars in Millions)
Women's
Men's
Home
Children's
Accessories
Footwear
Net Sales

2021

$4,927
            3,867 
            3,344 
            2,435 
            2,100 
            1,798 
$18,471

2020

$3,796
            2,753 
            3,381 
            2,082 
            1,638 
            1,381 
$15,031

2019

$5,302
            3,827 
            3,249 
            2,460 
            2,217 
            1,830 
$18,885

We  maintain  various  rewards  programs  whereby  customers  earn  rewards  based  on  their  spending  and  other 
promotional  activities.  The  rewards  are  typically  in  the  form  of  dollar-off  discounts  which  can  be  used  on  future 
purchases. These programs create performance obligations which require us to defer a portion of the original sale 
until the rewards are redeemed. Sales are recorded net of returns. At the end of each reporting period, we record a 
reserve  based  on  historical  return  rates  and  patterns  which  reverses  sales  that  we  expect  to  be  returned  in  the 
following period. Revenue from the sale of Kohl's gift cards is recognized when the gift card is redeemed. Unredeemed 
gift card and merchandise return card liabilities totaled $353 million as of January 29, 2022 and $339 million as of 
January  30,  2021.  Net  sales  of  $153  million  were  recognized  during  2021  from  gift  cards  redeemed  in  2021  and 
issued in prior years. 

Net sales do not include sales tax as we are considered a pass-through conduit for collecting and remitting sales 
taxes.

Other Revenue

Other revenue includes revenue from credit card operations, third-party advertising on our website, unused gift cards 
and merchandise return cards (breakage), and other non-merchandise revenue.

Revenue from credit card operations includes our share of the finance charges, late fees, and other revenue less 
write-offs  of  uncollectible  accounts  of  the  Kohl’s  credit  card  pursuant  to  the  Private  Label  Credit  Card  Program 
Agreement. Expenses related to our credit card operations are reported in SG&A.

Revenue from unredeemed gift cards and merchandise return cards (breakage) is recorded in proportion to and over 
the time period the cards are actually redeemed.

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Cost of Merchandise Sold and Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

The  following  table  illustrates  the  primary  costs  classified  in  Cost  of  Merchandise  Sold  and  Selling,  General,  and 
Administrative Expenses:

Cost of Merchandise Sold

 •    Total cost of products sold including product 
development costs, net of vendor payments other than 
reimbursement of specific, incremental, and identifiable 
costs

 •    Inventory shrink

 •    Markdowns

Selling, General, and
Administrative Expenses

 •    Compensation and benefit costs including:

•     Stores
•     Corporate, including buying
•     Distribution centers

 •    Occupancy and operating costs of our retail, 

distribution, and corporate facilities

 •    Freight expenses associated with moving 

 •    Expenses related to our credit card operations

merchandise from our vendors to our distribution 
centers

 •    Shipping expenses for digital sales

 •    Terms cash discount

 •    Depreciation of product development facilities and 

equipment

 •    Freight expenses associated with moving 

merchandise from our distribution centers to our retail 
stores and between distribution and retail facilities 
other than expenses to fulfill digital sales

 •    Marketing expenses, offset by vendor payments for 

reimbursement of specific, incremental, and 
identifiable costs

 •    Other non-operating revenues and expenses

The classification of these expenses varies across the retail industry.

Vendor Allowances

We  receive  consideration  for  a  variety  of  vendor-sponsored  programs,  such  as  markdown  allowances,  volume 
rebates, and promotion and marketing support. The vendor consideration is recorded as earned either as a reduction 
of  Cost  of  Merchandise  Sold  or  Selling,  General,  and  Administrative  Expenses.  Promotional  and  marketing 
allowances are intended to offset our marketing costs to promote vendors’ merchandise. Markdown allowances and 
volume rebates are recorded as a reduction of inventory costs.

Fair Value

Fair value measurements are required to be classified and disclosed in one of the following pricing categories:

Level 1:

Financial instruments with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges.

Level 2:

Financial  instruments  lacking  unadjusted,  quoted  prices  from  active  market  exchanges,  including 
over-the-counter traded financial instruments. The prices for the financial instruments are determined 
using prices for recently traded financial instruments with similar underlying terms as well as directly 
or  indirectly  observable  inputs,  such  as  interest  rates  and  yield  curves  that  are  observable  at 
commonly quoted intervals.

Level 3:

Financial  instruments  that  are  not  actively  traded  on  a  market  exchange.  This  category  includes 
situations  where  there  is  little,  if  any,  market  activity  for  the  financial  instrument.  The  prices  are 
determined using significant unobservable inputs or valuation techniques.

Current  assets  and  liabilities  are  reported  at  cost,  which  approximates  fair  value.  Cash  and  cash  equivalents  are 
classified as Level 1 as carrying value approximates fair value because maturities are less than three months.

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Marketing

Marketing costs are expensed when the marketing is first seen. Marketing costs, net of related vendor allowances, 
are as follows:

(Dollars in Millions)
Gross marketing costs
Vendor allowances
Net marketing costs
Net marketing costs as a percent of total revenue

2021

2020

2019

$948
  (55)
$893
4.6%

$824
  (36)
$788
4.9%

$1,156
  (130)
$1,026
5.1%

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and 
liabilities are recorded based on differences between the amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial 
reporting purposes and such amounts recognized for income tax purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are 
calculated using the enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected 
to reverse. We establish valuation allowances for deferred tax assets when we believe it is more likely than not that 
the asset will not be realizable for tax purposes. We recognize interest and penalty expense related to unrecognized 
tax benefits in our provision for income tax expense.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is net income (loss) divided by the average number of common shares outstanding 
during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share includes incremental shares assumed for share-based awards 
and  stock  warrants.  Potentially  dilutive  shares  include  stock  options,  unvested  restricted  stock  units  and  awards, 
performance share units, and warrants outstanding during the period, using the treasury stock method. Potentially 
dilutive shares are excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) if their effect would be anti-
dilutive.
The information required to compute basic and diluted net income (loss) per share is as follows:

(Dollars and Shares in Millions, Except per Share Data)
Numerator—net income (loss)
Denominator—weighted average shares

Basic
Impact of dilutive share-based awards
Diluted

Net income (loss) per share:

Basic
Diluted

2021

2020

2019

$938

$(163)

$691

  146 
  2 
  148 

$6.41
$6.32

  154 
  — 
  154 

$(1.06)
$(1.06)

  157 
  1 
  158 

$4.39
$4.37

The following potential shares of common stock were excluded from the diluted net income (loss) per share calculation 
because their effect would have been anti-dilutive:

(Shares in Millions)

Anti-dilutive shares

2021

2020

2019

  2 

  6 

  3 

Share-Based Awards

Stock-based compensation expense is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period based on 
the fair value of awards which are expected to vest. The fair value of all share-based awards is estimated on the date 
of grant.

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

We adopted the new accounting standard on simplifying the accounting for income taxes (ASU 2019-12), effective at 
the beginning of fiscal 2021. The transition method (retrospective, modified retrospective, or prospective basis) related 
to the amendments depends on the applicable guidance, and all amendments for which there is no transition guidance 
specified are to be applied on a prospective basis. There was no material impact on our financial statements due to 
adoption of the new standard.

2. Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following unsecured senior debt:

Maturity (Dollars in Millions)
2023
2023
2025
2025
2029
2031
2033
2037
2045
Outstanding unsecured senior debt
Unamortized debt discounts and deferred financing costs
Unsecured senior debt
Effective interest rate

Effective 
Rate
3.25%
4.78%
9.50%
4.25%
7.36%
3.40%
6.05%
6.89%
5.57%

Coupon 
Rate
3.25%
4.75%
9.50%
4.25%
7.25%
3.38%
6.00%
6.88%
5.55%

Outstanding

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

$164
  111 
  113 
  353 
  42 
  500 
  112 
  101 
  427 
  1,923 
  (13)
$1,910
4.89%

$350
  184 
  600 
  650 
  42 
  — 
  113 
  101 
  427 
  2,467 
  (16)
$2,451
5.90%

Our unsecured senior long-term debt is classified as Level 1, financial instruments with unadjusted, quoted prices 
listed on active market exchanges. The estimated fair value of our unsecured senior debt was $2.0 billion at January 
29, 2022 and $2.8 billion at January 30, 2021.

In  March  2021,  we  issued  $500  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of  3.375%  notes  with  semi-annual  interest 
payments beginning in November 2021. The notes include coupon rate step ups if our long-term debt is downgraded 
to below a BBB- credit rating by S&P Global Ratings or Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. The notes mature in 
May 2031. Proceeds of the issuance and cash on hand were used to pay the principal, premium, and accrued interest 
of the notes which were purchased as part of the cash tender offer in April 2021.

In  April  2021,  we  completed  a  cash  tender  offer  for  $1.0  billion  of  senior  unsecured  debt.  We  recognized  a  $201 
million loss on extinguishment of debt in the first quarter of 2021, which includes the $192 million tender premium 
paid to tendering note holders in accordance with the terms of the tender offer, a $6 million non-cash write-off of 
deferred financing costs and original issue discounts associated with the extinguished debt, and $3 million in other 
fees.

In October 2021, we entered into a Credit Agreement with various lenders which provides for a $1.0 billion senior 
unsecured five-year revolving credit facility that will mature in October 2026 and replaced our existing senior secured 
revolving credit facility. Among other things, the agreement includes a maximum leverage ratio financial covenant 
and restrictions on liens and subsidiary indebtedness, all of which are generally consistent with the prior 2019 senior 
unsecured five-year revolving credit facility. We may request an increase in revolving credit commitments under the 
facility of up to $500 million in certain circumstances. Events of default under the Credit Agreement include, among 
other things, a change of control of the Company and the Company’s default on other debt exceeding $75 million. No 
borrowings were outstanding on the credit facility in place as of January 29, 2022 or January 30, 2021.

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Our various debt agreements contain covenants including limitations on additional indebtedness and certain financial 
tests. As of January 29, 2022, we were in compliance with all covenants of the various debt agreements.

We also had outstanding trade letters of credit totaling approximately $45 million at January 29, 2022 issued under 
uncommitted lines with two banks.

3. Leases

We lease certain property and equipment used in our operations. Some of our store leases include additional rental 
payments  based  on  a  percentage  of  sales  over  contractual  levels  or  payments  that  are  adjusted  periodically  for 
inflation. Our typical store lease has an initial term of 20 to 25 years and four to eight five-year renewal options.

Lease  assets  represent  our  right  to  use  an  underlying  asset  for  the  lease  term.  Lease  assets  are  recognized  at 
commencement date based on the value of the lease liability and are adjusted for any lease payments made to the 
lessor at or before commencement date, minus any lease incentives received and any initial direct costs incurred by 
the lessee.

Lease liabilities represent our contractual obligation to make lease payments. At the commencement date, the lease 
liabilities equal the present value of minimum lease payments over the lease term. As the implicit interest rate is not 
readily identifiable in our leases, we estimate our collateralized borrowing rate to calculate the present value of lease 
payments.

Leases with a term of 12 months or less are excluded from the balance; we recognize lease expense for these leases 
on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  lease  term.  We  combine  lease  and  non-lease  components  for  new  and  modified 
leases. The majority of our lease assets and liabilities are for stores that are leased locations.

We opened 200 Sephora shop-in-shops within our Kohl's stores in the fall of 2021. Due to the investments we made 
in the shop-in-shops, we reassessed our lease term when construction began as these assets will have significant 
economic value to us when the lease term becomes exercisable. The impact of these assessments resulted in an 
increase  in  the  accounting  lease  term,  additional  lease  assets  and  liabilities,  and,  in  some  cases,  changes  to  the 
classification.

The following tables summarize our operating and finance leases and where they are presented in our Consolidated 
Financial Statements:

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Classification

Operating leases
Property and equipment, net

(Dollars in Millions)
Assets
   Operating leases
   Finance leases
   Total operating and finance leases
Liabilities
   Current
     Operating leases
     Finance leases
   Noncurrent
     Operating leases
     Finance leases
   Total operating and finance leases

Current portion of operating leases
Current portion of finance leases and financing obligations

Operating leases
Finance leases and financing obligations

January 29, 
2022

January 30, 
2021

$2,248
      1,442 
      3,690 

$2,398
         708 
      3,106 

         145 
           87 

         161 
           76 

      2,479 
      1,688 
$4,399

      2,625 
         926 
$3,788

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Consolidated Statement of Operations

(Dollars in Millions)
Operating leases
Finance Leases
Amortization of leased assets
Interest on leased assets
Total operating and finance leases

Classification
Selling, general, and administrative

2021

2020

2019

$298

$314

$314

Depreciation and amortization
Interest expense, net

           98 
         111 
$507

           79 
         102 
$495

           72 
           98 
$484

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(Dollars in Millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in measurement of leased liabilities
Operating cash flows from operating leases
Operating cash flows from finance leases
Financing cash flows from finance leases

2021

2020

2019

$311
         105 
           93 

$305
         102 
           69 

$320
           98 
           76 

The following table summarizes future lease payments by fiscal year:

(Dollars in millions)
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
After 2026
Total lease payments
Amount representing interest
Lease liabilities

Operating  Leases

$283
                      277 
                      246 
                      233 
                      224 
                   3,275 
$4,538
                  (1,914)
$2,624

January 29, 2022
Finance Leases

$198
                      181 
                      166 
                      160 
                      159 
                   2,636 
$3,500
                  (1,725)
$1,775

Total

$481
                      458 
                      412 
                      393 
                      383 
                   5,911 
$8,038
                  (3,639)
$4,399

Total lease payments include $2.9 billion related to options to extend operating lease terms that are reasonably certain 
of being exercised, $2.5 billion related to options to extend finance lease terms that are reasonably certain of being 
exercised, and excludes $50 million of legally binding lease payments for leases signed but not yet commenced.

The following table summarizes weighted-average remaining lease term and discount rate:

Weighted-average remaining term (years)
   Operating leases
   Finance leases
Weighted-average discount rate
   Operating leases
   Finance leases

Other lease information is as follows:

(Dollars in Millions)
Property and equipment acquired through:
Finance lease liabilities
Operating lease liabilities

Financing Obligations

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

                        20 
                        20 

                        19 
                        18 

6%
7%

6%
10%

2021

2020

2019

                      841 
                          2 

                      128 
                      165 

                      236 
                      106 

Historical failed sale-leasebacks that did not qualify for sale-leaseback accounting upon adoption of ASC 842 continue 
to be accounted for as financing obligations.

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Table of Contents

The following tables summarize our financing obligations and where they are presented in our Consolidated Financial 
Statements:

(Dollars in millions)
Assets
   Financing obligations
Liabilities
   Current
   Noncurrent
Total financing obligations

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Classification

Property and equipment, net

Current portion of finance leases and financing obligations
Finance leases and financing obligations

January 29, 
2022

January 30, 
2021

$55

$65

           31 
         445 
$476

           39 
         461 
$500

Consolidated Statement of Operations

(Dollars in millions)
Amortization of financing obligation assets
Interest on financing obligations
Total financing obligations

Classification
Depreciation and amortization
Interest expense, net

2021

2020

2019

$10
           41 
$51

$11
           36 
$47

$11
           37 
$48

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(Dollars in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in measurement of financing obligations
Operating cash flows from financing obligations
Financing cash flows from financing obligations
Proceeds from financing obligations
(Gain) on extinguishment of debt

2021

2020

2019

$40
           32 
           15 
  — 

$36
           36 
             9 

$37
           37 
           11 
  —              (9)

In 2019, we purchased leased equipment that was accounted for as a financing obligation resulting in recognition of 
a $9 million gain on extinguishment of debt.

The following table summarizes future financing obligation payments by fiscal year:

(Dollars in millions)
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
After 2026
Total lease payments
Non-cash gain on future sale of property
Amount representing interest
Financing obligation liability

January 29, 2022
Financing Obligations
$72
                         72 
                         67 
                         59 
                         52 
                        445 
$767
                        206 
                       (497)
$476

Total payments exclude $8 million of legally binding payments for contracts signed, but not yet commenced.

The following table summarizes the weighted-average remaining term and discount rate for financing obligations:

Weighted-average remaining term (years)
Weighted-average discount rate

53

January 29, 2022
                         10                              8 
7%

January 30, 2021

9%

Table of Contents

The following table shows the cash rent out flows for the operating leases, finance leases, and financing obligations: 

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(Dollars in millions)
Operating cash flows from operating leases
Operating cash flows from finance leases
Financing cash flows from finance leases
Operating cash flows from financing obligations
Financing cash flows from financing obligations
Total cash rent

4. Benefit Plans

2021

2020

2019

$305

$311

$320
         105           102             98 
           93             69             76 
           40             36             37 
           32             36             37 
  548           568 

  581 

We have a defined contribution savings plan covering all full-time and certain part-time associates. Participants in this 
plan may invest up to 99% of their base compensation, subject to certain statutory limits. We match 100% of the first 
5% of each participant’s contribution, subject to certain statutory limits.

We  also  offer  a  non-qualified  deferred  compensation  plan  to  a  group  of  executives  which  provides  for  pre-tax 
compensation deferrals up to 75% of salary and 100% of bonus. Deferrals and credited investment returns are 100% 
vested. 

The total costs for these benefit plans were $51 million for 2021, $50 million for 2020, and $51 million for 2019. 

5. Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes consist of the following:

(Dollars in Millions)
Deferred tax liabilities:
    Property and equipment
    Lease assets
    Merchandise inventories
    Total deferred tax liabilities
Deferred tax assets:
    Lease obligations
    Accrued and other liabilities, including stock-based compensation
    Federal benefit on state tax reserves
    Valuation allowance
    Total deferred tax assets
Net deferred tax liability

January 29, 2022

January 30, 2021

$646
                974 
                  24 
             1,644 

$718
                821 
                  46 
             1,585 

             1,267 
                214 
                  30 
                 (34)
             1,477 
$167

             1,093 
                244 
                  30 
                 (42)
             1,325 
$260

Deferred tax assets included in other long-term assets totaled $39 million as of January 29, 2022 and $42 million as 
of January 30, 2021. As of January 29, 2022, the Company had state net operating loss carryforwards, net of valuation 
allowances, of $46 million, and state credit carryforwards, net of valuation allowances, of $8 million, which will expire 
between 2022 and 2042. As of January 30, 2021, state net operating loss carryforwards, net of valuation allowances, 
were $88 million, and state credit carryforwards, net of valuation allowances, were $6 million. 

The components of the Provision (benefit) for income taxes were as follows:

(Dollars in Millions)
Current federal
Current state
Deferred federal
Deferred state
Provision (benefit) for income taxes

2021

$311
  63 
  (59)
  (34)
$281

2020
$(439)
  38 
  69 
  (51)
$(383)

2019

$128
  31 
  60 
  (9)
$210

54

 
 
   
   
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On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted and signed into law. The CARES Act modified a number of corporate 
tax provisions, such as the limitations on the deduction of business interest expense under Section 163(j) as well as 
allowing net operating loss carryovers and carrybacks to fully offset taxable income for years beginning before 2021. 
Additionally, the CARES Act allows net operating losses incurred in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to be carried back to the 
five preceding tax years to generate a refund of previously paid income taxes. 

The effective tax rate differs from the amount that would be provided by applying the statutory U.S. corporate tax rate 
due to the following items:

Provision at statutory rate
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit
Federal NOL carryback
Uncertain tax positions
Federal tax credits
Other
Effective tax rate

2019

2020

2021
21.0% 21.0% 21.0%
  3.1 
  2.1 
  — 
  66.0 
  0.6 
  (19.4)
  (1.2)
  0.4 
  (0.2)
  0.1 
23.1% 70.2% 23.3%

  2.6 
  (0.3)
  0.6 
  (1.1)
  0.3 

The effective tax rate for the year ended January 29, 2022, was less than the effective tax rate for the year ended 
January 30, 2021, primarily due to the federal net operating loss (“NOL”) generated in 2020 that could be carried back 
up to five taxable years. The federal NOL incurred for the year ended January 30, 2021 was carried back to tax years 
2015 – 2017. As a result, for the year ended January 30, 2021, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $474 
million due to the federal income tax rate of 21% in tax year 2020 versus 35% in tax years 2015 – 2017.

We have analyzed filing positions in all of the federal and state jurisdictions where we are required to file income tax 
returns, as well as all open tax years in these jurisdictions. The federal returns subject to examination are the 2012 
through 2021 tax years. With respect to state and local jurisdictions, with limited exceptions, the Company is no longer 
subject to income tax audits for years before 2013. Certain states have proposed adjustments, which we are currently 
appealing. If we do not prevail on our appeals, we do not anticipate that the adjustments would result in a material 
change in our financial position.

We  assess  our  income  tax  positions  and  record  tax  liabilities  for  all  years  subject  to  examination  based  upon 
management’s evaluation of the facts and circumstances and information available at the reporting dates. For those 
income tax positions where it is more-likely-than-not, based on technical merits, that a tax benefit will be sustained 
upon the conclusion of an examination, we have recorded the largest amount of tax benefit having a cumulatively 
greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the applicable taxing authority, assuming 
that it has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those tax positions which do not meet the more-likely-than-
not threshold regarding the ultimate realization of the related tax benefit, no tax benefit has been recorded in the 
financial statements. In addition, we provide for interest and penalties, as applicable, and record such amounts as a 
component  of  the  overall  income  tax  provision.  A  reconciliation  of  the  beginning  and  ending  gross  amount  of 
unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

(Dollars in Millions)
Balance at beginning of year
Increases due to tax positions taken in prior years
Increases due to tax positions taken in current year
Decreases due to:

Tax positions taken in prior years
Settlements with taxing authorities
Lapse of applicable statute of limitations

Balance at end of year

2021

2020

$298
  12 
  27 

  (53)
  (3)
  (5)
$276

$135
  — 
  177 

  (9)
  (4)
  (1)
$298

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Table of Contents

Not  included  in  the  unrecognized  tax  benefits  reconciliation  above  are  gross  unrecognized  accrued  interest  and 
penalties of $43 million at January 29, 2022 and $42 million at January 30, 2021. Interest and penalty expenses were 
$3 million in 2021, $18 million in 2020, and $4 million in 2019.

Our  total  unrecognized  tax  benefits  that,  if  recognized,  would  affect  our  effective  tax  rate  were  $256  million  as  of 
January  29,  2022  and  $276  million  as  of  January  30,  2021.  It  is  reasonably  possible  that  our  unrecognized  tax 
positions may change within the next 12 months, primarily as a result of ongoing audits. While it is possible that one 
or more of these examinations may be resolved in the next year, it is not anticipated that a significant impact to the 
unrecognized tax benefit balance will occur.

We have both payables and receivables for income taxes recorded on our balance sheet. Receivables included in 
other current assets totaled $15 million as of January 29, 2022 and $610 million as of January 30, 2021. Receivables 
included in other long term assets totaled $300 million as of January 29, 2022 and $232 million as of January 30, 
2021. Payables included in current liabilities totaled $106 million as of January 29, 2022 and $10 million as of January 
30, 2021. 

6. Stock-Based Awards

We currently grant share-based compensation pursuant to the Kohl’s Corporation 2017 Long-Term Compensation 
Plan,  which  provides  for  the  granting  of  various  forms  of  equity-based  awards,  including  nonvested  stock, 
performance  share  units,  and  options  to  purchase  shares  of  our  common  stock,  to  officers,  key  employees,  and 
directors. As of January 29, 2022, there were 9.0 million shares authorized and 6.1 million shares available for grant 
under the 2017 Long-Term Compensation Plan. Options and nonvested stock that are surrendered or terminated 
without issuance of shares are available for future grants. We also have outstanding options and other awards which 
were granted under previous compensation plans.

Annual grants are typically made in the first quarter of the fiscal year. Grants to newly-hired and promoted employees 
and other discretionary grants are made periodically throughout the remainder of the year.

Stock Options

The majority of stock options previously granted to employees vest in five equal annual installments. Outstanding 
options granted to employees prior to 2006 had a term of up to 15 years. Outstanding options granted to employees 
after 2005 had a term of seven years. Outstanding options granted to directors have a term of 10 years. 

All stock options have an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. The 
fair value of each option award was estimated using a Black-Scholes option valuation model.

The following table summarizes our stock option activity:

(Shares in Thousands)
Balance at beginning of year
Exercised
Forfeited/expired
Balance at end of year

2021

2020

2019

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$52.15
  54.00 
  51.27 
$48.66

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$51.78
  — 
  51.53 
$52.15

Shares

  87 
  — 
  (51)
  36 

Shares

  36 
  (23)
  (1)
  12 

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$51.48
  50.88 
  51.50 
$51.78

Shares

  136 
  (46)
  (3)
  87 

The intrinsic value of options exercised represents the excess of our stock price at the time the option was exercised 
over the exercise price and was less than $1 million in 2021, $0 in 2020, and $1 million in 2019. The stock options 
outstanding as of January 29, 2022 are all exercisable. They have a weighted average remaining contractual life of 
0.3 years and an intrinsic value of less than $1 million. The intrinsic value of outstanding and exercisable stock options 

56

Table of Contents

represents the excess of our closing stock price on January 29, 2022 ($60.16) over the exercise price multiplied by 
the applicable number of stock options.

Nonvested Stock Awards

We have also awarded shares of nonvested common stock to eligible key employees and to our Board of Directors. 
Substantially  all  awards  have  restriction  periods  tied  primarily  to  employment  and/or  service.  Employee  awards 
generally vest over five years. Director awards vest over the term to which the director was elected, generally one 
year. In lieu of cash dividends, holders of nonvested stock awards are granted restricted stock equivalents which vest 
consistently with the underlying nonvested stock awards. Holders of restricted stock units are granted shares upon 
vesting in lieu of cash dividends. 

The fair value of nonvested stock awards is the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. We may 
acquire shares from employees in lieu of amounts required to satisfy minimum tax withholding requirements upon the 
vesting of the employee’s unvested stock award. Such shares are then designated as treasury shares.

The following table summarizes nonvested stock activity, including restricted stock equivalents issued in lieu of cash 
dividends:

(Shares in Thousands)
Balance at beginning of year
Granted
Vested
Forfeited
Balance at end of year

2021

2020

2019

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$32.09
  55.31 
  35.80 
  34.68 
$36.17

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$56.24
  20.46 
  52.83 
  39.21 
$32.09

Shares

  2,312 
  2,640 
  (1,053)
  (448)
  3,451 

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$51.90
  63.57 
  50.06 
  57.71 
$56.24

Shares

  2,601 
  917 
  (1,004)
  (202)
  2,312 

Shares

  3,451 
  696 
  (1,165)
  (213)
  2,769 

The aggregate fair value of awards at the time of vesting was $42 million in 2021, $56 million in 2020, and $50 million 
in 2019. 

Performance Share Units

We  grant  performance-based  share  units  ("performance  share  units")  to  certain  executives.  The  performance 
measurement period for these performance share units is three fiscal years. The fair market value of the grants is 
determined using a Monte-Carlo valuation on the date of grant.

The actual number of shares which will be earned at the end of the three-year vesting periods will vary based on our 
cumulative financial performance over the vesting periods. The number of performance share units earned will be 
modified  up  or  down  based  on  Kohl's  Relative  Total  Shareholder  Return  against  a  defined  peer  group  during  the 
vesting  periods.  The  payouts,  if  earned,  will  be  settled  in  Kohl's  common  stock  after  the  end  of  each  multi-year 
performance periods.

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Table of Contents

The following table summarizes performance share unit activity by year:

2021

2020

2019

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$49.95
  58.07 
  72.21 
  66.88 
$42.74

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$61.55
  19.76 
  42.72 
  46.79 
$49.95

Shares

  1,274 
  699 
  (826)
  (110)
  1,037 

Weighted
Average
Grant
Date Fair
Value

$52.08
  69.30 
  46.87 
  63.41 
$61.55

Shares

  1,046 
  665 
  (336)
  (101)
  1,274 

Shares

  1,037 
  225 
  (211)
  (195)
  856 

(Shares in Thousands)
Balance at beginning of year
Granted
Vested
Forfeited
Balance at end of year

Stock Warrants

Effective April 18, 2019, in connection with our entry into a commercial agreement with Amazon.com Services, Inc. 
(“Amazon”), we issued warrants to an affiliate of Amazon, to purchase up to 1,747,441 shares of our common stock 
at an exercise price of $69.68, subject to customary anti-dilution provisions. The fair value was estimated to be $17.52 
per warrant using a binomial lattice method. The warrants vest in five equal annual installments. The first installment 
vested on January 15, 2020, the second installment on January 15, 2021, and the third installment on January 15, 
2022.  Total  vested  and  unvested  shares  as  of  January  29,  2022  were  1,048,465  and  698,976,  respectively.  The 
warrants will expire on April 18, 2026. Unvested warrants will not vest if the commercial agreement is terminated, not 
renewed, or if no substitute written returns arrangement is entered into between the parties.

Other Required Disclosures

Stock-based  compensation  expense,  other  than  that  included  in  Impairments,  store  closing,  and  other  costs,  is 
included in Selling, general, and administrative expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Income. Stock-based 
compensation expense totaled $48 million for 2021, $40 million for 2020, and $56 million for 2019. At January 29, 
2022, we had approximately $85 million of unrecognized share-based compensation expense, which is expected to 
be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.4 years.

7. Contingencies

We are subject to legal proceedings and claims arising out of the conduct of our business, including claims both by 
and  against  us.  Such  proceedings  typically  involve  claims  related  to  various  forms  of  liability,  contract  disputes, 
allegations  of  violations  of  laws  or  regulations,  or  other  actions  brought  by  us  or  others  including  our  employees, 
consumers,  competitors,  suppliers,  or  governmental  agencies.  We  routinely  assess  the  likelihood  of  any  adverse 
outcomes related to these matters on a case by case basis, as well as the potential ranges of losses and fees. We 
establish accruals for our potential exposure, as appropriate, for significant claims against us when losses become 
probable and reasonably estimable. Where we are able to reasonably estimate a range of potential losses relating to 
significant matters, we record the amount within that range that constitutes our best estimate. We also disclose the 
nature of and range of loss for claims against us when losses are reasonably possible and material. These accruals 
and disclosures are determined based on the facts and circumstances related to the individual cases and require 
estimates and judgments regarding the interpretation of facts and laws, as well as the effectiveness of strategies or 
other factors beyond our control.

Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

None

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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief 
Financial  Officer,  we  carried  out  an  evaluation  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  design  and  operation  of  our  disclosure 
controls and procedures (the “Evaluation”) at a reasonable assurance level as of the last day of the period covered 
by this report.

Based upon the Evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure 
controls  and  procedures  are  effective  at  the  reasonable  assurance  level.  Disclosure  controls  and  procedures  are 
defined  by  Rule  13a-15(e)  of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934  (the  "Exchange  Act")  as  controls  and  other 
procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit 
under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified by the 
SEC's  rules  and  forms.  Disclosure  controls  and  procedures  include,  without  limitation,  controls  and  procedures 
designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange 
Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial 
Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

It should be noted that the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the 
likelihood of future events and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving our stated goals 
under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. 
Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and Board of Directors 
regarding the preparation and fair presentation of our published financial statements.

All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems 
determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and 
presentation.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022. 
In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of 
the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013 Framework). Based on this 
assessment, our management has concluded that as of January 29, 2022, our internal control over financial reporting 
was effective based on those criteria.

Ernst  &  Young  LLP,  an  independent  registered  public  accounting  firm,  has  audited  the  Consolidated  Financial 
Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and, as part of its audit, has issued an attestation report, 
included herein, on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during 2021 that have materially affected, or 
are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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Table of Contents

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Kohl’s Corporation 

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Kohl’s Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022, based on criteria 
established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway  Commission  (2013  framework)  (the  COSO  criteria).  In  our  opinion,  Kohl’s  Corporation  (the  Company) 
maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022, based 
on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, 
and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of 
the three years in the period ended January 29, 2022, and the related notes and our report dated March 17, 2022, 
expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for 
its  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  included  in  the  accompanying 
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion 
on  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  based  on  our  audit.  We  are  a  public  accounting  firm 
registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the 
U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and 
the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was 
maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a 
material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on 
the  assessed  risk,  and  performing  such  other  procedures  as  we  considered  necessary  in  the  circumstances.  We 
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance 
with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those 
policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly 
reflect  the  transactions  and  dispositions  of  the  assets  of  the  company;  (2)  provide  reasonable  assurance  that 
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally 
accepted  accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in 
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance 
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that 
could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. 
Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may 
deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 
March 17, 2022

Item 9B. Other Information

None

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

Not applicable.

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance

For information with respect to our Directors, the Board of Directors’ committees and our written Code of Ethics, see 
the applicable portions of the “Corporate Governance Matters” and “Proposal One: Election of Directors” sections of 
the Definitive Proxy Statement for our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (“our 2022 Proxy”), which information is 
incorporated herein by reference.

Any amendment to or waiver from the provisions of the Code of Ethics that is applicable to our Chief Executive Officer, 
Chief Financial Officer, or other key finance associates will be disclosed on the “Corporate Governance” portion of 
http://corporate.kohls.com. We intend to satisfy our disclosure requirements under item 5.05 of form 8-K regarding 
any amendments or waivers by posting such information at this location or our website.

See also Item 4A, Information about our Executive Officers of Part 1.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

See  the  information  provided  in  the  applicable  portions  of  the  “Corporate  Governance  Matters”,  “Proposal  One: 
Election of Directors”, "Compensation Committee Report", and "Compensation Discussion & Analysis" sections of 
our 2022 Proxy, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

See the information provided in the “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Directors, and Management” 
section of our 2022 Proxy, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

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The following table provides information with respect to shares of common stock that may be issued under our existing 
equity compensation plans as of January 29, 2022:

Plan Category (Shares in Thousands)
Equity compensation plans approved by 
security holders (1)
Equity compensation plans not approved by 
security holders (2)
Total

(a)
Number of Securities to be 
Issued Upon Exercise of 
Outstanding Options, 
Warrants and Rights

(b)
Weighted-Average 
Exercise Price of 
Outstanding Options, 
Warrants and Rights

(c)
Number of Securities 
Remaining Available for 
Future Issuance Under 
Equity Compensation 
Plans (excluding 
securities reflected in 
column (a))

1,449

  1,747 
3,196

$48.66

$69.68
$69.54

6,115

  — 
6,115

(1)

In addition to options, this amount includes 856,286 shares that may be issued upon the vesting of Performance Share Units ("PSUs") and 580,468 shares that 
may be issued upon the vesting of Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs") granted under the 2017 Long-Term Compensation Plan. PSUs and RSUs do not have an 
exercise price and therefore have been excluded from the weighted average exercise price calculation in column (b).

(2) Consists of warrants issued in April 2019.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

See the information provided in the “Director Independence” and “Related Person Transactions” sections of our 2022 
Proxy, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

See the information provided in the “Fees Paid to Ernst & Young” section of our 2022 Proxy, which information is 
incorporated herein by reference.

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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Documents filed as part of this report

1. Consolidated Financial Statements:

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements, the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting 
Firm, and the Consolidated Financial Statements, in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

2. Financial Statement Schedule:

All schedules have been omitted as they are not applicable.

3. Exhibits:

Exhibit
3.1

3.2

3.3

4.1

Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the 
Company

Description

Articles of Amendment Relating to Series A Junior 
Participating Preferred Stock of Kohl’s Corporation, filed with 
the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions on 
February 3, 2022
Amended and Restated Bylaws

Certain other long-term debt is described in Note 2 of the 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company 
agrees to furnish to the Commission, upon request, copies of 
any instruments defining the rights of holders of any such 
long-term debt described in Note 2 and not filed herewith.

4.2 Warrant to Purchase Common Stock

4.3

Description of registrant's securities

4.4

10.1

10.2

10.3

10.4

Rights Agreement, dated as of February 3, 2022, between 
Kohl’s Corporation and Equiniti Trust Company, which 
includes the Form of Articles of Amendment Relating to Series 
A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as Exhibit A, the Form 
of Right Certificate as Exhibit B and the Summary of Rights to 
Purchase Preferred Stock as Exhibit C
Private Label Credit Card Program Agreement dated as of 
August 11, 2010 by and between Kohl’s Department Stores, 
Inc. and Capital One, National Association
Amendment to Private Label Credit Card Program Agreement 
dated as of May 13, 2014 by and between Kohl's Department 
Stores, Inc. and Capital One, National Association
Amended and Restated Executive Deferred Compensation 
Plan*

Kohl’s Corporation 2005 Deferred Compensation Plan, as 
amended and restated effective January 1, 2005*

Document if Incorporated by Reference
Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current 
Report on Form 8-K filed on May 16, 
2011
Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current 
Report on Form 8-K dated February 4, 
2022

Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current 
Report on Form 8-K dated August 10, 
2021

Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's Current 
Report on Form 8-K filed on April 23, 
2019
Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
February 1, 2020
Exhibit 4.1 to Company’s Current Report 
on Form 8-K filed on February 4, 2022

Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended July 31, 2010
Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended May 3, 2014
Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2003
Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended January 28, 2006

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Table of Contents

Exhibit
10.5

Description
Summary of Executive Medical Plan*

10.6

Summary of Executive Life and Accidental Death and 
Dismemberment Plans*

10.7

Kohl’s Corporation Annual Incentive Plan*

10.8

1997 Stock Option Plan for Outside Directors*

Document if Incorporated by Reference
Exhibit 10.6 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended January 29, 2005
Exhibit 10.7 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended January 29, 2005
Annex B to the Proxy Statement on 
Schedule 14A filed on March 24, 2016 in 
connection with the Company’s 2016 
Annual Meeting of Shareholders
Exhibit 4.4 of the Company's registration 
statements on Form S-8 (File No. 333-
26409), filed on May 2, 1997

10.9

Amended and Restated 2003 Long-Term Compensation Plan* Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Quarterly 

10.10 Kohl’s Corporation 2010 Long-Term Compensation Plan*

10.11 Form of Executive Restricted Stock Agreement pursuant to 
the Kohl’s Corporation 2010 Long Term Compensation Plan 
(4-year vesting)*

10.12 Form of Outside Director Restricted Stock Agreement 

pursuant to the Kohl's Corporation 2017 Long Term 
Compensation Plan*

10.13 Kohl's Corporation 2017 Long-Term Compensation Plan*

10.14 Form of Executive Restricted Stock Agreement pursuant to 

the Kohl's Corporation 2017 Long-Term Compensation Plan*

10.15 Form of Executive Performance Share Unit Agreement 

pursuant to the Kohl's Corporation 2017 Long-Term 
Compensation Plan*

10.16 Non-Employee Director Compensation Program*
10.17 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between 
Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. and Kohl’s Corporation and 
Michelle Gass effective as of September 25, 2017*
10.18 Employment Agreement between Kohl's Department Stores, 

Inc. and Kohl's Corporation and Doug Howe effective as of 
May 14, 2018*

10.19 Employment Agreement between Kohl's Department Stores, 
Inc. and Kohl's Corporation and Greg Revelle effective as of 
April 9, 2018*

10.20 Executive Compensation Agreement between Kohl's 

Department Stores, Inc. and Marc Chini dated as of August 
30, 2019*

10.21 Executive Compensation Agreement between Kohl's 

Department Stores, Inc. and Paul Gaffney dated as of 
September 16 , 2019*

10.22 Amended and Restated Executive Compensation Agreement 
between Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. and Jill Timm dated 
November 1, 2019*

Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended August 2, 2008
Annex A to the Proxy Statement on 
Schedule 14A filed on March 24, 2016 in 
connection with the Company’s 2016 
Annual Meeting
Exhibit 99.2 of the Company’s Current 
Report on Form 8-K filed on January 15, 
2014
Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
January 30, 2021
Annex A to the Proxy Statement on 
Schedule 14A filed on March 13, 2017 in 
connection with the company's 2017 
Annual Meeting
Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended July 29, 2017
Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended July 29, 2017

Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current 
Report on Form 8-K filed on September 
29, 2017
Exhibit 10.21 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2020
Exhibit 10.22 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2020
Exhibit 10.23 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2020
Exhibit 10.24 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2020
Exhibit 10.25 of the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended February 1, 2020

64

Document if Incorporated by Reference
Exhibit 10.25 to the Company’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
January 30, 2021
Exhibit 10.1 on the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended June 3, 2021

Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended October 30, 2021

Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended May 1, 2021
Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended May 1, 2021
Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Quarterly 
Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal 
quarter ended May 1, 2021

Table of Contents

Exhibit
10.23 Amended and Restated Executive Compensation Agreement 

Description

between Kohl's, Inc. and Jason Kelroy dated August 16, 
2020*

10.24 Settlement Agreement, dated as of April 13, 2021, by and 

among Kohl’s Corporation, Macellum Badger Fund, LP and 
the other persons and entities listed on Schedule A thereto 
Legion Partners Holdings, LLC and the other persons and 
entities listed on Schedule B thereto, 4010 Partners, LP and 
the other persons and entities listed on Schedule C thereto, 
and Ancora Advisors, LLC and the other persons and entities 
listed on Schedule D thereto

10.25 Credit Agreement dated as of October 22, 2021 by and 

among the Company, the various lenders party thereto, Wells 
Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent, a 
Swing Line Lender and an Issuing Bank, Bank of America, 
N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank

10.26 Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for persons party to 

an Employment Agreement

10.27 Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for persons party to 

an Executive Compensation Agreement

10.28 Form of Performance Stock Unit Agreement

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

21.1
23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP
31.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 

302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 

302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 

U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of 
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 

U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of 
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
101.PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL 
and contained in Exhibits 101)

*A management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

Not applicable.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly 
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Kohl’s Corporation

By: /s/    Michelle Gass
Michelle Gass
Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/    Jill Timm
Jill Timm
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Dated: March 17, 2022

Pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  this  report  has  been  signed  below  by  the 
following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated above:

/s/    Frank V. Sica
Frank V. Sica
Chairman

/s/   Michael Bender
Michael Bender
Director

/s/   Peter Boneparth
Peter Boneparth
Director

/s/    Yael Cosset
Yael Cosset
Director

/s/    Christine Day
Christine Day
Director

/s/    H. Charles Floyd
H. Charles Floyd
Director

/s/    Michelle Gass
Michelle Gass
Chief Executive Officer
Director (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/    Margaret Jenkins
Margaret Jenkins 
Director 

/s/    Thomas Kingsbury
Thomas Kingsbury
Director

/s/    Robbin Mitchell
Robbin Mitchell
Director

/s/    Jonas Prising
Jonas Prising
Director

/s/    John E. Schlifske
John E. Schlifske
Director

/s/    Adrianne Shapira
Adrianne Shapira
Director

/s/    Stephanie A. Streeter
Stephanie A. Streeter
Director

66