Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions. Its international corporate headquarters are in San Francisco, California. The company operates 560 retail stores in the United States and Canada under a portfolio of brands, including 255 Williams-Sonoma, 180 Pottery Barn and 90 Pottery Barn Kids stores. Other subsidiary brands include Williams-Sonoma Home, West Elm, Pottery Barn Bed & Bath and PBteen. The company... reported revenue for fiscal year 2005 of more than $3.539 billion and claimed more than 7,700 full-time employees. Williams-Sonoma was founded in 1956 by Charles E. Williams, selling professional and restaurant-quality kitchenwares for home use. Chuck Williams was one of the titans of the American food revolution. He had a tough childhood made even more so by the great depression. By the time he was a teenager he was on his own working his way through high school at a California date farm. During WWII he repaired war planes in East Africa and India.
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| NYSE symbol: | WSM |
| Founded: | 1956 |
| Headquarters: | San Francisco, California |
| Annual revenue: | $3,361,470,000 |
| Net income: | $30,020,000 |
| Operating income: | $452,300,000 |
| Market cap: | $2,800,000,000 |
| Industries: | Retail, Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores |