Pottery Barn 2010 Annual Report Download - page 9

PBteen continues to be top of mind for its customer and is the only specialty retailer which serves exclusively the
teen customer. Future growth of this brand will focus on expanding PBteen’s reach through an increased product
offering.
The Internet is a key component of our growth strategy. Our longstanding direct-to-consumer experience and
investment in technology, as well as a rich house file and expansive digital content allow us to interact with our
customer in new and relevant ways. We are committed to funding our Internet strategy and will continue to hire
key talent in this area.
Global expansion is a sizeable opportunity for each of our brands, and as we travel the world, we see the
opportunity to serve new customers. We have learned much from and are pleased with our first franchise stores
in the Middle East with our partner, M. H. Alshaya, and we will continue to open stores within this region. This
experience has given us confidence in expanding into other markets. We are in the preliminary exploration phase
of this expansion with a goal to open stores in new regions in 2012. In addition, we will enable international
shipping to over 70 countries in all of our brands this coming June.
New business development has always been one of our strengths, and we will continue to identify new business
ideas to test internally. We believe we should always have several great ideas with passionate business leaders
developing them at all times. We also see the potential to acquire new businesses that would help us achieve our
growth strategies.
So, you see that our strong brands, strong financial performance, multi-channel strength and strong leadership
team driven by a collective focus on the consumer and their lives at home make us unique in the market place.
We are always looking for better ways to do old things and for new things to try. We are committed to being the
best in our space in the world and we see a clear path to get there.
And yet, with all the pride in our outstanding results and confidence in our future, 2010 was a bittersweet year for
all the associates at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. because we lost Howard. His vision and passion served as a guiding
force for over 32 years and we owe so much to him. I personally treasure the time I had working with him and I
know I am a better leader for our associates because of it.
In closing, thank you to all the associates of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., our shareholders, our customers, our
vendors and partners throughout the world for helping make 2010 such a successful year. Your support and belief
in what we are doing means all the difference to our continued success.
Laura J. Alber
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
These letters contain forward-looking statements. Please see the section titled “Forward-Looking Statements” on
page 1 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2011, which is part of this
Annual Report to Shareholders, for important cautionary language regarding these statements.
Shareholders Letters