With Its Amazon Deal, Kohl's Is Playing With Fire

With Its Amazon Deal, Kohl's Is Playing With Fire

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is no friend to brick-and-mortar retailers. The e-commerce giant's breakneck growth and speedy delivery has put dozens of traditional retailers out of business and is squeezing even more. Amazon is the biggest reason for the "retail apocalypse" that is causing nearly 10,000 stores across the country to close this year, a new record.

That's why it was surprising when department store chain Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) said it would start carrying Amazon products in 10 of its stores earlier this month. Kohl's said it would launch a new "Amazon smart home" experience at 10 of its locations in Los Angeles and Chicago areas where customers can learn about and test devices like the Amazon Echo and Fire TV. 

The store-in-store spaces will also be staffed by Amazon sales associates. Shares rose 5% the day the news came out.

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Source: Fool.com