OUR STORY.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 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
and Puerto Rico, and franchise our brands to a third party in a number of
countries in the Middle East, including Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Our products are also available to
customers through our catalogs and online worldwide.