Kohl's Corp. raised its fiscal-year profit forecast after posting strong sales throughout its stores in the first quarter ended May 5.

Chief Executive Larry Montgomery said the Menomonee Falls, Wis.,

retailer's sales of exclusive brands -- such as partnerships on boy's clothing

and shoes with skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and coming pairings with

the Food Network -- continue to gain momentum.

He said the company saw such a positive result from its new line of

clothes with Elle fashion magazine that it will be putting them in 500

stores, up from the 300 it had originally planned for this spring.

That is part of a trend of several high-end lines Kohl's is putting in its

stores this year. One of the most anticipated lines, Mr. Montgomery said,

is Simply Vera -- a line of accessories, jewelry, footwear, clothing and

other items -- by designer Vera Wang.

Exclusives such as Ms. Wang's coming line count for about 10% of sales,

while private-label brands, such as Sonoma and apt. 9, are about 25%.

"I think our existing customer has been asking for a little tick-up in

fashion and quality and having more out there, in terms of updated

contemporary styling," Mr. Montgomery said. "But it's also appealing to a