In a move that echoes the strategic pivots of undergarment history - where structure meets reinvention - Kohl's has named Elliott Rodgers as its new chief operating officer. Rodgers, a former U.S. Army captain and most recently chief operations officer at Foot Locker, brings a discipline that recalls the corset's transformation from rigid constraint to flexible foundation. He will oversee the retailer's 1,200 stores, global supply chain, and loss prevention, stepping into a role vacated by Dave Alves this September.
CEO Michael Bender praised Rodgers' ability to rally teams and navigate disruption, much like the early 20th-century shift from whalebone to elastic in lingerie design. Kohl's, a value-driven family retailer, has faced a bumpy journey - comparable sales dipped 1.1% in the first quarter to $3 billion, with a net loss of $14 million. Yet its proprietary brands, akin to the house labels that defined mid-century hosiery catalogs, showed gains, hinting at a turnaround.
Rodgers' resume reads like a masterclass in operational reinvention: supply chain and IT leadership at Ulta Beauty, omnichannel roles at Target, and a stint at Citigroup. His military background - a West Point degree paired with an MBA from Harvard - mirrors the precision of a well-fitted brassiere's engineering. As he takes command, the question remains whether Kohl's can, like the lingerie industry itself, stitch together heritage and innovation for a new era.
Originally reported by WWD