Dive Brief:

• Discount department store Kohl’s Thursday reported that Q4 same-store rose 0.4% and full year same-store sales rose 0.7%, but said sales were “volatile” and missed expectations for the quarter. 

• The retailer said its holiday quarter Web orders, including those fulfilled in store, rose 30% in the quarter. CEO Kevin Mansell said in a statement that the retailer saw strong holiday sales from the Thanksgiving/Black Friday week through Christmas, but that sales were weak in early November and again in January, in part due to poor sales of winter gear.

• The retailer lowered its guidance for fiscal 2015 diluted earnings per share, which sent shares down 20% Thursday to $41.06 per share, a seven year low, according to Reuters. 

Dive Insight:

Mansell said the retailer is “pleased with the performance of our digital business,” as well he should be, considering the solid growth in digital sales and evidence that its omni-channel efforts like ship from store and curbside pickup are paying off.

But store traffic took a hit from warm weather, he said. And perhaps the boost in web orders also cannibalized in-store shopping, and the spontaneous impulse buys that come from that.

In any case, investors are impatient with Kohl’s, which has been in the midst of a turnaround it’s calling its “greatness agenda” but has struggled to boost sales for a few quarters now. This includes experimenting with an off-price outlet and becoming Juicy Couture's U.S. retailer after the brand closed its stateside stores to concentrate sales overseas. 

As we pointed out in our previous coverage, Kohl's may be feeling squeezed by the popularity of off-price retailers like T.J. Maxx and many department stores' constant discounts. While Kohl's operates around 1,100 stores nationwide, it still competes with Target and Wal-Mart, who, despite the latter's recent store closings, are all but ubiquitous in the States. Such pressures may be the reason the retailer was exploring going private as recently as last month, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, which could give the company a better opportunity, with more breathing room and time, to regroup.