Kohl's to open Md. distribution center, create jobs

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. - Kohl's Corp. plans to open a distribution center in July in Maryland that will create about 1,200 jobs over the next three years.

The department store operator said Tuesday that the Edgewood, Md., facility will fulfill online orders. It anticipates hiring more than 200 full- and part-time employees when the center opens in July.

Kohl's reports that its online revenue climbed more than 50 percent last year. The Menomonee Falls, Wis., company anticipates $1 billion in online sales in 2011.

Kohl's will have a total of 12 distribution centers across the United States with the addition of the Maryland facility. This will be its third distribution center focused on serving online customers, with other locations in San Bernardino, Calif., and Monroe, Ohio.

While Kohl's will initially occupy 602,000 square feet at the Maryland location, it plans to expand the facility to 1 million square feet by 2012.

"This new facility will ensure that Kohl's is able to accommodate the tremendous growth of our Kohls.com business," Ken Bonning, executive vice president of store planning and logistics, said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Kohl's said it would open nine stores in seven states, a move it said would create more than 1,200 jobs. The company also said it planned to open about 30 more stores this year.

Kohl's currently runs 1,097 stores in 49 states.