Williams-Sonoma, Inc
REMEMBER to ANSWER these questions (This is a very important part of the interview – to know why you are interested):
List 2-3 reason why you are interested in this industry?
List 2-3 reasons why you are interested in Williams-Sonoma, Inc?
List 2-3 reasons why you are interested in this position?
1.
Company general info.
Williams-Sonoma is leading retailer of goods for well-appointed kitchens, bedrooms, and baths. Home products
include bath and storage products, bedding, cookware, furniture, and tableware. The company's retail chains, WilliamsSonoma and larger Grande Cuisine (upscale cookware), Pottery Barn and larger Design Studio (housewares, furniture), and
Hold Everything (storage items), sell wares through more than 550 stores in 43 states, Washington, DC, and Canada.
In addition, Williams-Sonoma distributes eight catalogs, including its newest, Williams-Sonoma Home. It operates
about 15 Williams-Sonoma outlet stores and five e-commerce Web sites, and runs an online bridal registry.
Following on the heels of the Williams-Sonoma Home catalog launched in the fall of 2004, a corresponding Web site
devoted to upscale furniture debuted in the spring of 2005. Also, the company opened its first Williams-Sonoma Home in
West Hollywood, California in September, followed by two more in October.
Williams-Sonoma's other catalogs include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Bed + Bath, Pottery Barn
Kids, PBteen, Hold Everything, and West Elm.
Its Pottery Barn Kids division offers stylish children's furniture and has expanded to a total of nearly 90 stores
nationwide and in Canada. Its West Elm catalog, which offers home furnishings and accessories at more accessible price
points, debuted in 2002; its Web site and first retail store opened in 2003.
The company has decided to close its chain of 11 Hold Everything stores in 2006.
Company Type
2005 Sales (mil.)
1-Year Sales Growth
2005 Net Income (mil.)
1-Year Net Income Growth
2005 Employees
Annual Sales ($ mil.)
Annual Net Income ($ mil.)
Chairman
CEO and Director
COO
EVP and CFO
Public
$3,136.9
13.9%
$191.2
21.6%
36,000
2005 2004
3,136.9 2,754.4
191.2 157.2
W. Howard Lester
Edward A. (Ed) Mueller
Vivian M. Stephenson
Sharon L. McCollam
2. Products:
Retail
Design Studio (large-scale Pottery Barn)
Grande Cuisine (large-scale Williams-Sonoma)
Hold Everything (household storage products)
Pottery Barn (home furnishings, flatware, and table accessories)
Pottery Barn Kids (children's home furnishings)
West Elm (home furnishings, decorative accessories,
tabletop items, and textile collection)
Williams-Sonoma (cookware, cookbooks, cutlery,
dinnerware, glassware, and table linens)
Catalogs
Hold Everything (household storage products)
PBteen (home furnishings for teenage market)
Pottery Barn (home furnishings and housewares)
Pottery Barn Bed + Bath (bed and bath products)
Pottery Barn Kids (children's linens and furniture)
West Elm (home furnishings and housewares)
Williams-Sonoma (kitchen products)
Williams-Sonoma Home (home furnishings)
Sources: Company website, Businessweek.com, Hoovers.com, other Internet news resources.
3.
In the news
1. January 12, 2006 -- Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) today announced that net revenues for the eight-week holiday
period ended December 25, 2005 increased 12.0% to $868.7 million versus the eight-week holiday period ended December
26, 2004, including a comparable store sales increase of 4.5%. The Company also announced its decision to transition the
merchandising strategies of its Hold Everything brand into its other existing brands by the end of 2006.
2. 01/05/2006, Home Textiles Today
- Wedbush Morgan Securities has selected three favorites among the home
furnishings specialty retailers it evaluates: Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma and Cost Plus World Market.
Williams-Sonoma is cited by the Wedbush analysts for its multi-tier formats and strong brands. Like W-S, the Pottery
Barn division enjoys good customer loyalty, a product of powerful merchandising and focused marketing campaigns.
The continuing rollout of West Elm, the hip urban retail entry, is expected to provide the company with increased access to a
more moderate demographic than that tapped by its core brands, and it is aimed at a competitor, Pier 1 Imports, that is in the
midst of a tricky alteration in its own image.
4.
Top Competitors
Bed Bath & Beyond
Euromarket Designs
Pier 1 Imports
Sources: Company website, Businessweek.com, Hoovers.com, other Internet news resources.