About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of products for the home. The company’s in-house design capabilities and vertically integrated sourcing organization allow it to deliver high-quality, sustainable products at competitive prices. Through its e-commerce platform, the company’s in-house customer relationship management and data analytic teams optimize its digital spend and customer connections. The company has expanded its in-store services to include ship-to-store as it transitions its stores to not only provide an exceptional customer service experience but to also serve as design centers and omni-fulfillment hubs. The company’s products represent distinct merchandise strategies — Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham — are marketed through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs and retail stores. These brands are also part of The Key Rewards, the company’s loyalty and credit card program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands. The company operates in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, offer international shipping to customers worldwide, and have unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea and India, as well as e-commerce websites in certain locations. Williams Sonoma From the beginning, its 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 Pottery Barn is a premier omni-channel home furnishings retailer. America’s most meaningful, beautiful design source, Pottery Barn brings together good products, people and values — seeking inspiration, quality, sustainability and service in everything the company does. Thoughtfully designed and crafted to last, Pottery Barn’s furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, decorative accessories and more can be loved for a lifetime. Pottery Barn Kids Kids are, and have always been, the inspiration behind what the company does at Pottery Barn Kids. Most importantly, all the company’s designs are rigorously tested to meet the highest child safety standards and expertly crafted from the best materials to last beyond their childhood years. West Elm West Elm is dedicated to transforming people’s lives and spaces through creativity, style and purpose. West Elm creates unique, modern and affordable home decor and curates a global selection of local, ethically-sourced and Fair Trade Certified products, available online and in the company’s stores worldwide. Pottery Barn Teen Pottery Barn Teen is the first home concept to focus exclusively on the teen market. The company’s purpose is to make safe and sustainable designs that inspire teens to create the world they want to live in. The company is designing everything from organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture that adapts and lasts. Rejuvenation With design, manufacturing and distribution facilities in Portland, Oregon, Rejuvenation offers a wide assortment of made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture and home décor inspired by history, designed for today and made to last for years to come. Mark and Graham Mark and Graham is a leading monogrammed lifestyle brand that offers thoughtfully designed personalized products and custom gifts. The digitally native brand is known for high quality collections, ranging from home gifts to luggage to handbags, designed in-house that can be personalized with more than 50 exclusive monograms. Outward In 2017, the company acquired Outward, Inc., a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and décor industry. Outward’s technology enables scalable applications in product visualization, digital room design and augmented and virtual reality. Operations As of January 29, 2023, the company had the following merchandise strategies: Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham, which sell its products through its e-commerce websites, retail stores and direct-mail catalogs. The company offers shipping from many of its brands to countries worldwide, while its catalogs reach customers throughout the U.S. The company’s retail stores serve as billboards for its brands, which inspires new and existing customers to also shop online. The company also has multi-year franchise agreements with third parties in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea and India that operate franchised locations, as well as e-commerce websites in certain locations. Seasonality The company’s business is subject to substantial seasonal variations in demand. Historically, a significant portion of the company’s net revenues and net earnings have been realized during the period from October through January, and levels of net revenues and net earnings have typically been lower during the period from February through September. In preparation for and during its holiday selling season, the company hires a substantial number of additional temporary employees, primarily in its retail stores, distribution facilities and customer care centers. Intellectual Property As of January 29, 2023, the company owned and/or had applied to register approximately 210 unique trademarks or service marks. The company owns and/or has applied to register its key brand names in the U.S., as well as in approximately 96 additional jurisdictions. Generally, exclusive rights to the trademarks and service marks are held by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and are used by the company’s subsidiaries and franchisees under license. These marks include the company’s core brand names, as well as brand names for selected products and services. The company’s core brand names, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, pottery barn kids, Pottery Barn Teen, west elm, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham are of material importance to it. The company also owns numerous patents, copyrights and trade dress rights for its products, proprietary designs, product packaging, catalogs, website designs and store designs, among other things, which are used by its subsidiaries and franchisees under license. As of January 29, 2023, the company owned or had applied to register approximately 370 patents in connection with certain product designs, inventions and proprietary technology. Patents in the U.S. are generally valid for 15 to 20 years as long as their registrations are properly maintained. In addition, the company has registered and maintain numerous Internet domain names, including williams-sonoma.com, potterybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, potterybarnteen.com, westelm.com, wshome.com, williams-sonomainc.com, rejuvenation.com and markandgraham.com. Collectively, the trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade dress rights, domain names, trade secrets and other intellectual property and proprietary technology that the company holds are of material importance to it. History Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956. The company was incorporated in 1973.