Kohl’s COO departs unexpectedly

Kohl’s Corp. announced on Monday that Dave Alves, president and chief operating officer, has left the department store retailer less than a year into the role. 

Alves is “is leaving Kohl’s to pursue other opportunities. We thank Dave for his leadership and wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” said Jen Johnson, Kohl’s senior vice president of corporate communications, in a statement to U.S. media.

In February, the Menomonee Falls-based retailer announced it was hiring Alves to oversee its 1,200 stores, with Alves starting his position in April.

Alves reported to Kohl’s chief executive officer Tom Kingsbury. According to reports, the company will not be looking for a replacement with Alves’ duties most likely being redistributed to other executives in the company.

Prior to joining Kohl’s, Alves served as the president and chief retail officer for the Bealls Retail Group. Before that, he held leadership roles at TJX Canada and TJX Europe, Hudson’s Bay and Sterling Shoes.

The announcement comes just weeks after Kohl’s revealed that board chair Peter Boneparth will retire from his role at the end of his current term, with Michael Bender set to assume the position.

The U.S. retailer is due to announce its third quarter earnings update on Tuesday.