The company's Massachusetts plans will include stores in Burlington, Chelmsford, Hingham, Medford, Milford, North Andover, Pembroke, Walpole and Woburn. In New Hampshire, the chain will open stores in Nashua, Newington, Plaistow and Salem. Kohl's is currently in the process of hiring 1,700 employees for its new stores and plans to open the locations in early April.

According to Susan Henderson, vice president of public relations for Kohl's, the company is rebuilding most of the new stores. "We have a style and design to our store and they will fit our prototype," she tells GlobeSt.com. The stores here will range from 86,000 sf to 100,000 sf in size. Henderson notes that Kohl's expansion into the Greater Boston area will be typical of the store's entry into other markets. "It's an ongoing process of evaluating real estate opportunities," she says.

Kohl's expansion into the area comes after the region has seen a number of retailers go under, including Bradlees, Ames, Caldors and Service Merchandise. Most recently Kmart filed for bankruptcy protection. But Henderson says that Kohl's has its own niche that distinguishes it from other retailers. "We are value-oriented, in the mid-tier niche and we focus on convenience," she notes. Henderson also points out that Kohl's has been a public company for ten years and has seen consistent growth in that time period. Kohl's operates 382 stores across the country.