Key takeaways:
- Kohl’s named Elliott Rodgers Chief Operating Officer, effective September 9, 2026, reporting to CEO Michael Bender.
- Rodgers previously served as COO at Foot Locker and held supply chain and technology leadership roles at Ulta Beauty.
- In Q1 fiscal 2026, Kohl’s posted its best comparable sales performance in over four years, though net sales still declined 1.7%.
Kohl’s announced this week that it has appointed Elliott Rodgers as Chief Operating Officer, effective September 9. Rodgers will report to CEO Michael Bender and oversee enterprise operations including the retailer’s nearly 1,200 stores, global supply chain and distribution centers, procurement and loss prevention.
Rodgers brings more than two decades of cross-functional retail leadership to the role. Most recently he served as Chief Operations Officer at Foot Locker, where he led technology, supply chain, procurement, customer care and enterprise transformation.
Ulta Beauty, Target, Citigroup Background, West Point Graduate
Prior to that, he was Chief People Officer at project44 and spent eight years at Ulta Beauty in progressive roles, including Chief Supply Chain Officer and Chief Information Officer. Earlier in his career, he held distribution and omnichannel operations roles at Target and was a Vice President at Citigroup.
Rodgers is a West Point graduate, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a former U.S. Army Captain.
“With more than 20 years of leadership experience in retail and large-scale operational roles, he has helped brands navigate through change, embrace innovation and drive results through operational execution,” Bender said in a statement.
Kohl’s Working to Stabilize Business
The hire comes as Kohl’s works to stabilize its business under Bender, who was named permanent CEO in November 2025 after serving in an interim capacity following the departure of Ashley Buchanan.
In Q1 fiscal 2026, Koh’s net sales fell 1.7% year-over-year to $3 billion, with comparable sales down 1.1%, though Bender called it the company’s best comparable sales performance in over four years.
Kohl’s affirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, projecting net sales and comparable sales to range from a 2% decline to flat, with adjusted diluted EPS of $1.00 to $1.60.
