West Elm (stylized as west elm) is a retail store that features contemporary furniture designs and other housewares. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc.[1] There are currently stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the India. Customers are able to shop in-store, online, or through a catalog by telephone. The larger products such as sofas and beds are only displayed in stores for customers to see and feel in-person, likening West Elm to a pure catalog/online retail company.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer Retail |
| Founded | 2002 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Key people | Chuck Williams, Founder Dale W. Hilpert, Founder Laura Alber, CEO |
| Products | Kitchenwares, Housewares, Office Furniture, Home Furnishings, Linens, Upholstery |
| Parent | Williams-Sonoma |
| Website | westelm |
History
editWest Elm was founded in April 2002 with the launch of a catalog, with the concept of "great design at affordable price points".[2] followed by the first store in the Dumbo district of Brooklyn, New York later that year.
The first West Elm stores outside the United States were opened in Canada. The Toronto King Liberty store opened in October 2008, Vancouver on the South Granville strip in September 2012, and Montreal at 995 Rue Wellington in June 2013, Calgary’s Mount Royal Village shopping centre Summer 2015.[3]
In Mexico, El Puerto de Liverpool retail group operates the West Elm stores there, which number 10 as of January 2024.[4][5]
In 2010, Jim Brett began as president and sought to "humanize" the products which he characterized as machine made and "soulless" to be more creative.[6]
A growing concern was sustainability, such that by 2020 60% of the products were supporting one of the company's sustainability initiatives.[7]
During 2019-20 West Elm was Williams-Sonoma's fastest growing brand.[7]
References
edit- ^ Williams-Sonoma, Inc. – west elm
- ^ "Williams-Sonoma, Inc. - Corporate Timeline". Williams-Sonoma. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Patterson, Craig (15 February 2018). "West Elm Expands Canadian Footprint with Unique Concept Store [Photos]". Retail Insider. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Tiendas". West Elm Mexico. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Monteros, Maria (12 October 2022). "Why Mexican department store Liverpool is eyeing Nordstrom". Modern Retail. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Sacks, Danielle (27 March 2014). "Fixing This One Big Problem Helped Turn Around Struggling Furniture Retailer West Elmaccess-date=8 January 2024". Fast Company.
- ^ a b Genovese, Daniella (29 July 2020). "What is West Elm?". FOXBusiness. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
External links
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