Kristina Houck | Patch
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Kohl’s is closing an e-commerce fulfillment center in the Inland Empire as well as dozens of stores across the country, the department store retail chain announced Thursday.
Kohl’s plans to close its San Bernardino e-commerce fulfillment center when the facility’s lease expires in May.
The facility has been in operation for Kohl’s since 2010 and is one of 15 e-commerce fulfillment centers and distribution centers in Kohl’s supply chain network across the country, according to the company.
“In recent years, Kohl’s has increased efficiencies with new technology capabilities at newer EFC facilities and has expanded the company’s ability to fulfill customer orders from store locations, allowing the company to maintain its ability to fulfill orders without the San Bernardino facility,” the company said in a news release.
Kohl’s will also close 27 underperforming stores by April, including 10 stores in California. None of the locations are in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“We always take these decisions very seriously,” Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “As we continue to build on our long-term growth strategy, it is important that we also take difficult but necessary actions to support the health and future of our business for our customers and our teams.”
The chain informed its employees of the slated store closures and “offered a competitive severance package or the ability to apply to other open roles” within the company, according to Kohl’s.