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Kohl's coming to Miami
March 4, 2008

Good news for me (and bad news for my husband): Kohl’s is heading to
Miami.

During Kohl's fourth quarter and yearend earnings call last week, execs
announced that in the fall it will for the first time enter into the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale metro markets. 

Ironically, I've been seeing Kohl's advertisements on television for
many months now. I can't say exactly which channels or during which
programs since I have Comcast's "Basic I" cable hookup with access to
any of 75 channels or so.

But, according to Kohl's Store locator at www.kohls.com, there isn't yet
a Kohl's store within 100 miles of my home.

So these ads come across more like teasers for shoppers like me here in
Miami than appeals to hit a Kohl's store, because, well, I can't.

Another interesting note is that during last week's earnings call,
Kohl's emphasized that it will "dramatically expand" its regional
merchandising "to reflect the differences by individual market across
the country, be it lifestyle or climate."

That makes me wonder why Kohl's is going to such lengths to be
appropriate in its merchandise mix per store, but not also making
equally sure its advertising sends that same message - or arrives to the
right customer.

In any case, Miami will surely pose a challenge for Kohl's new
regionalization effort. 
It is a community with a dynamic demographic mix of potential customers -- Hispanics (mostly comprising Cubans and South Americans), Whites, African-Americans and Haitians. 
 
Macy’s, for example, still hasn’t gotten it quite right, ever since it replaced the former Burdines crew and concept. My friends and I have often commented how we miss shopping Burdines – the former local and longtime favorite department store here. When you walked into the store, you knew Burdines understood its customers and our styles here in the tropics. 

It's 80 degrees here, and we've only just entered March. We want
swimsuits, please, not sweaters.

Posted by Cecile B. Corral on March 4, 2008 | Comments (2)