Williams-Sonoma looks to enter UK
Williams-Sonoma, the US gourmet cookware and home furnishings retailer, is planning to launch in the UK.
According to the Independent, the company has appointed a UK retail property agent to find a suitable site for a London store. The retailer is thought to be looking for a shop measuring between 5,000 and 8000 sq ft which it plans to open in the first half of next year.
The retailer has 560 stores in the US and Canada and will be competing with the likes of John Lewis, Lakeland , Laura Ashley and The White Company in the UK.
Williams-Sonoma, which also operates the Pottery Barn stores in the US and Canada, saw profits rise by 9.2 % to £323.1 million in the year to 30 January 2011.
Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams in Sonoma, California, the group now employs over 7,700 people.
