Kohl’s has appointed Michael Bender as its permanent CEO after Bender served as the interim CEO for the past seven months.
Bender was elected to helm the Kohl’s board of directors in 2019. He will be the third CEO to lead the corporation over the course of the las three years.
Bender became the interim CEO this past May, after former CEO Ashley Buchanan was fired. Buchanan held the position for just over 100 days. He was fired for having an undisclosed personal relationship with a vendor. Their transactions led to Kohl’s signing a multi million dollar consulting contract with the vendor’s affiliated company.
Buchanan was named CEO early in 2025, replacing Tom Kingsbury. Buchanan, facing declining sales and heavy competition, eliminated 10% of the companies corporate workforce to help increase their profit margins. At the time of his firing, stock shares had fallen about 70% over the course of the year.
The announcement of Bender’s hiring came just one day before Kohl’s released their third quarter fiscal report. Net sales only decreased 2.8% and comparable sales decreased 1.7%.
In his first comment on the report, Bender stated:
“We are pleased with Kohl’s third quarter results, marking a third consecutive quarter of delivering top-line and bottom-line performance ahead of our expectations. These results are a direct reflection of the progress we are making against our 2025 initiatives, reinforcing our confidence as we continue to move in the right direction. We are focused on building on this momentum, as we remain committed to delivering quality products, great value, and a frictionless experience to our customers in an uncertain macroeconomic environment.”
“I am very proud of the work our team has accomplished to date, as we continue to operate our company with strong discipline, deliver solid cash flow generation, and maintain a healthy balance sheet. This will serve as a strong foundation as we reposition Kohl’s for future growth.”
In August of 2025, Kohl’s announced that it expected sales to continue to fall through the year.
Bender has previously worked at companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Walmart, and Eyemart Express. He will continue to serve as a member of KOhl’s leadership board.
