Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

• Despite the recent struggles of mall-based department stores like Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney, Kohl's has seen some success. 
• One reason for this is that nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are located in suburban strip malls, away from enclosed shopping malls. 
• Kohl's has also made an effort to partner with retailers like Amazon and Aldi. 

While thousands of mall-based stores close across America, Kohl's is thriving. 

The retailer's same-store sales surged in the critical holiday period, making bigger gains than some of its rivals, including Macy's. 

In large part, this is because nine out of 10 Kohl's stores are one-level stores in suburban strip malls rather than shopping malls. This makes the retailer less likely to be affected by the declining foot traffic that has hurt malls and the retailers that depend on them, like Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney, which have all announced store closures in recent years.

On top of that, Kohl's is actually shrinking some stores as opposed to closing down completely, in addition to opening smaller stores that are about one-sixth the size of a typical Macy's. The company has also recently introduced initiatives like adding Aldi grocery stores to test locations, carrying more national brands like Adidas, and becoming a return center for Amazon purchases at select locations. 

I visited a Kohl's store in Jersey City, New Jersey, to see in person what the company is doing to defy the retail apocalypse. Here's what I found: 

Source: Business Insider

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SEE ALSO: We went to Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's to see which store was the best — here's the verdict