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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended May 1, 2021

OR

For the Transition period from ________ to _________

Commission file number 1-11084

KOHL’S CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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

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

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 Regulation 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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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 pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by a check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).             

Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: May 28, 2021 Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 per Share, 156,233,049 shares outstanding.

KOHL’S CORPORATION

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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KOHL’S CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

For purposes of the following discussion, unless noted, all references to "the quarter” and “the first quarter” are for the three fiscal months (13 weeks) ended May 1, 2021 or May 2, 2020.

This Form 10-Q 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 include the information under “2021 Outlook,” as well as statements 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. Any such forward-looking statements are qualified by the important risk factors, described in Part I Item 1A of our 2020 Form 10-K or disclosed from time to time in our filings with the SEC, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to the date initially made and we undertake no obligation to update them.

Executive Summary

As of May 1, 2021, we operated 1,162 Kohl's stores, a website (www.Kohls.com), and 12 FILA outlets. 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. Our website includes merchandise which is available in our stores, as well as merchandise that is available only online.

Key financial results for the quarter included:

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. During the first quarter of 2021, we did see momentum in our business returning to pre-pandemic levels which allowed us to resume our capital allocation strategy including reinstating dividends, resuming our share repurchase program, and employing liability management strategies.

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Our Vision and Strategy

In 2020, the Company announced a new strategic framework with a vision to be “the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle.” This strategy is designed to create long-term shareholder value and has four key focus areas: driving top line growth, expanding operating margin, maintaining disciplined capital management, and sustaining an agile, accountable, and inclusive culture.

2021 Outlook

Our updated expectations for fiscal 2021 are as follows:

Results of Operations

Total Revenue

Net sales increased 69.5% for the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020.

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 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 the first quarter of 2020, we have not included a discussion of 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.

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Digital penetration calculations vary across the retail industry. As a result, our digital penetration calculation may not be consistent with the similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

The decrease in Other revenue of $43 million for the first quarter of 2021 was driven by a decline in credit revenue due to lower accounts receivable balances associated with a decrease in sales in 2020 as well as a higher payment rate resulting in less interest, late fees, and write-off activity.

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.

Gross margin as a percent of sales was 39%, increasing 2,173 bps from the COVID-19 impacted gross margin as a percent of sales of 17.3% in the first quarter of 2020. The increase was driven by pricing and promotion optimization, strong inventory management resulting in less permanent markdowns, and decreased shipping costs due to the decrease in digital sales penetration. Gross margin in the first quarter of 2020 was negatively impacted by $187 million of inventory related charges, including a $163 million reserve required to address excess seasonal inventory as our stores were closed.

Gross margin benefited from a favorable industry backdrop which provided for a greater percentage of full price selling. While we expect some of the industry tailwinds to ease as inventory rebuilds, we remain confident in our ability to further enhance our margin structure through our strategic initiatives. We are monitoring cost headwinds related to industry-wide supply chain disruptions. We have navigated the challenges to date, but acknowledge there still remains a lot of uncertainty as we look to the balance of the year.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expense (“SG&A”)

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.

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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 table summarizes the increases (decreases) in SG&A by expense type:

SG&A expenses increased $104 million, or 9.8%, to $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2021. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A leveraged by 1,379 bps. The increase in SG&A was primarily driven by increases in store expenses due to an increase in sales as our stores were closed for part of the period last year due to COVID-19, an increase in Corporate expenses due to the retention credit benefit we were eligible for under The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in 2020, and an increase in distribution expenses driven by higher transportation and payroll costs to support the increased sales volume. Partially offsetting the increase in SG&A expense was a decrease in technology expense driven by a more balanced staffing model.

Other Expenses

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

In the first quarter of 2020, we incurred $66 million of Impairments, store closing, and other costs. We incurred $51 million in asset write-offs and $2 million in other costs related to capital reductions and strategy changes due to COVID-19 and $13 million in brand exit costs.

Net interest expense increased in the first quarter of 2021 as a result of higher interest expense due to the $600 million notes issued in April 2020 partially offset by liability management strategies employed during the first quarter of 2021.

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

Income Taxes

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The first quarter of 2021 resulted in a net benefit for income taxes driven by the recognition of favorable tax items. The net benefit, when compared to a low GAAP income, results in a large negative tax rate. The effective income tax rate from the first quarter of 2020 was driven by the net loss in the first quarter of 2020 due to the temporary closure of our stores and the benefit of the net loss carryback to years with a federal statutory tax rate of 35%.

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation

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.

Seasonality and Inflation

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. Due to the impact of COVID-19, typical sales patterns may not occur this year.

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

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

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Our working capital and inventory levels typically build throughout the fall, peaking during the November and December holiday selling season.

Operating Activities

Operating activities generated $278 million in the first quarter of 2021 compared to $53 million in the first quarter of 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 changes in other current and long-term assets partially offset by extending payment terms with our vendors last year.

Investing Activities

Investing activities used $57 million in the first quarter of 2021 and $162 million in the first quarter of 2020. The decrease was due to reductions in capital expenditures in 2021 driven by the timing of the construction of our Sephora shops beginning in the second quarter of 2021.

Financing Activities

Financing activities used $883 million in the first quarter of 2021 and generated $1.4 billion in the first quarter of 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 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 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. At May 2, 2020, $1.0 billion was outstanding on the credit facility bearing an effective interest rate of 3.41%.

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 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.

We paid cash for treasury stock purchases of $46 million in the first quarter of 2021 and $8 million in the first quarter of 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.

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Cash dividend payments were $39 million ($0.25 per share) in the first quarter of 2021 and $108 million ($0.704 per share) in the first quarter of 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 May 12, 2021, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.25 per share. The dividend is payable June 23, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 9, 2021.

As of May 1, 2021, our credit ratings were as follows:

Key Financial Ratios

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

The decrease in our working capital and current ratio are primarily due to lower cash balances as a result of the debt liability management actions we employed to reduce our long-term borrowings as well as lower inventory balances offset by a decrease in accounts payable as we extended payment terms with our vendors in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Debt Covenant Compliance

As of May 1, 2021, we were in compliance with all covenants in our debt instruments and expect to remain in compliance during the remainder of fiscal 2021.

Contractual Obligations

During the first quarter of 2021, we issued $500 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.375% notes due in 2031. We also completed a cash tender offer for $1.0 billion of our senior unsecured debt. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional details about these financing activities. See Note 3 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details about outstanding debt. There have been no other significant changes in the contractual obligations disclosed in our 2020 Form 10-K.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not provided any financial guarantees as of May 1, 2021.

We have not created and are not a 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 our 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 U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts. Management has discussed the development, selection, and disclosure of its estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. There have been no significant changes in the critical accounting policies and estimates discussed in our 2020 Form 10-K.

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Our operating results are subject to interest rate risk as 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. There have been no other significant changes in the Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk described in our 2020 Form 10-K.

Item 4. 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.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended May 1, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no significant changes in the Risk Factors described in our 2020 Form 10-K.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

In April 2021, our Board of Directors increased the remaining share repurchase authorization under our existing share repurchase program to $2.0 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.

The following table contains information for shares of common stock repurchased and shares acquired from employees in lieu of amounts required to satisfy minimum tax withholding requirements upon the vesting of the employees’ stock-based compensation during the three fiscal months ended May 1, 2021:

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Item 6. Exhibits

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements 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.

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