Are These the Next Big Thing or Just Fads? – Saks Inc (SKS), Dillard’s, Inc. (DDS), Kohl’s Corporation (KSS)

Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) is a good deal larger than the previous two companies mentioned, coming in at more than twice Dillard’s market cap and pulling slightly higher profit margins. Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) is pretty stable considering its presence in the S&P 500 and strong showing in the Fortune 500 list. Coming in as the 4th largest US department store by sales volume and the 20th largest retailer by gross revenue, and has been cited several times for selling reusable shopping bags, employing solar panels in many of their stores, and pursuing green building certifications.

One issue I do have with Kohl’s is that their systems seem to be deficient in employee training. According to reviews I read at Glassdoor.com, at many locations there’s a general lack of openness to ideas from the sales floor, and training is insufficient. As I learned when I worked in a big company, low morale in the trenches tends to lead to less-than-stellar company-wide performance. If they could get this issue squared away, I’d rate Kohl’s as an absolute must-have for its 2.8% dividend and the fact that it’s trading for around 10.5 times earnings.

The article Are These the Next Big Thing or Just Fads? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Chris Hodge.

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