BATUS Holdings Inc history

Management purchased the chain's 40 stores in 1986 from BATUS Inc., the United States division of BAT Industries plc.

Batus Inc.: The Louisville, Ky., holding company for the United States business interests of BAT Industries PLC of England said 1988 net income rose 15% to $535 million and sales advanced 7% to $6.3 billion, both records.

Kohl's did not stop there: in 1992 the corporation prepared for further growth by expanding and upgrading its distribution facilities, automating merchandise handling, and making a public stock offering to finance projected openings of 14 to 16 additional stores annually.

The chain added Iowa and South Dakota to its roster in 1993 and opened 11 new stores.

Kohl's also continued to tinker with its store format, completing its phaseout of electronics in 1995.

1997 Kohl's opens a distribution center in Winchester, Virginia, to support an expansion into the Mid-Atlantic region.

Also in early 1999 came the purchase of 33 stores previously operated by bankrupt Caldor Corporation.

Of the 62 stores opened in 2001, more than a dozen blanketed the new market of Atlanta while other new markets included Oklahoma City, Austin, Fayetteville, and El Paso.

2003 With entry into California, Kohl's becomes a coast-to-coast chain.

During 2004 Kohl's concentrated on turning its performance around.

Kohl's also aimed to continue pursuing new exclusive merchandise offerings and was working on a new store design it planned to introduce in the fall of 2006.