MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. – Kohl's Department Stores is marking the grand opening of 37 new stores that have created more than 5,200 jobs across six states.

"We are proud that Kohl's is in a position to grow and add more than 5,000 jobs to the economy," said Kevin Mansell, Kohl's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We have used our financial strength during this downturn to expand in key markets, such as California, as well as invest in our existing store base in order to gain market share at a time when customers are looking for value more than ever."

Among the 37 stores opening Wednesday, 35 are former Mervyn's locations, 30 of which are in California.

With the addition of these stores, Kohl's now has 121 California locations, a 33 percent increase in the state. This translates into more than 4,200 new jobs in California.

New store locations opening this week include: California – Capitola, Downey, Eureka, Fullerton, Citrus Heights, Huntington Beach, Lodi, Merced, Millbrae, Monrovia, Napa, San Diego (three stores), Northridge, Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Redondo Beach, San Luis Obispo, San Rafael, Hayward, Sun Valley, Tustin, Ukiah, Upland, Los Angeles, Whittier, Cypress, Mountain View, Redwood City;

Florida – Plantation; Louisiana – Lake Charles; Nevada – Henderson, Las Vegas (two stores); Texas – El Paso; Utah – Salt Lake City.

All new Kohl's stores in California, Nevada, Texas and Utah are former Mervyn's locations.

In addition to the new California locations, Kohl's is opening stores in Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas and Utah.

During spring 2009, Kohl's opened 19 stores, including its first Alaska location. In total, the retailer opened 56 stores in 2009, and now operates 1,059 stores in 49 states. Kohl's is also remodeling 51 locations nationwide this year.

For more information, visit www.kohls.com/ca .