Pottery Barn 2014 Annual Report Download - page 17

PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
Williams-Sonoma, Inc., incorporated in 1973, is a multi-channel specialty retailer of high quality products for the
home.
In 1956, our founder, Chuck Williams, turned a passion for cooking and eating with friends into a small business
with a big idea. He opened a store in Sonoma, California, to sell the French cookware that intrigued him while
visiting Europe but that could not be found in America. Chuck’s business, which set a standard for customer
service, took off and helped fuel a revolution in American cooking and entertaining that continues today.
In the decades that followed, the quality of our products, our ability to identify new opportunities in the market
and our people-first approach to business have facilitated our expansion beyond the kitchen into nearly every
area of the home. Additionally, by embracing new technologies and customer-engagement strategies as they
emerge, we are able to continually refine our best-in-class approach to multi-channel retailing.
Today, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is one of the United States’ largest e-commerce retailers with some of the best
known and most beloved brands in home furnishings. We currently operate retail stores in the United States,
Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and franchise our brands to third parties in a number of
countries in the Middle East and the Philippines. Our products are also available to customers through our
catalogs and online worldwide.
Williams-Sonoma
From the beginning, our namesake brand, Williams-Sonoma, has been bringing people together around food. A
leading specialty retailer of high-quality products for the kitchen and home, the brand seeks to provide world-
class service and an engaging customer experience. Williams-Sonoma products include everything for cooking,
dining and entertaining, including: cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture and a
vast library of cookbooks. The brand also includes Williams-Sonoma Home, a premium concept that offers
classic home furnishings and decorative accessories, extending the Williams-Sonoma lifestyle beyond the
kitchen into every room of the home.
Pottery Barn
Established in 1949 and acquired by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1986, Pottery Barn is a premier multi-channel
home furnishings retailer. The brand was founded on the idea that home furnishings should be exceptional in
comfort, quality, style and value. Pottery Barn stores, website, and catalogs are specially designed to make
shopping an enjoyable experience, with inspirational lifestyle displays dedicated to every space in the home.
Pottery Barn products include furniture, bedding, bathroom accessories, rugs, curtains, lighting, tabletop, outdoor
and decorative accessories.
Pottery Barn Kids
Launched in 1999, Pottery Barn Kids serves as an inspirational destination for creating childhood memories by
decorating nurseries, bedrooms and play spaces. Pottery Barn Kids offers exclusive, innovative and high-quality
products designed specifically for creating magical spaces where children can play, laugh, learn and grow.
West Elm
Since its launch in 2002, West Elm has been helping customers express their personal style at home with authentic,
affordable and approachable products. Each season, West Elm’s talented in-house team of designers create a
collection that cannot be found anywhere else, and work with artists and independent designers both globally and
locally to develop collaborations that are exclusive to the brand. The brand also works closely with organizations
that support the development of craft and artisan skills to offer handcrafted and one-of-a-kind discoveries from
around the world. West Elm offers a complete assortment of products including furniture, bedding, bathroom
accessories, rugs, curtains, lighting, decorative accessories, dinnerware, kitchen essentials, and gifts.
3
Form 10-K