Williams-Sonoma Inc.

Williams-Sonoma is throwing its hat into the 3D app ring.   Later this month, the chain’s Pottery Barn banner will introduce 3D Room View. The augmented reality mobile app, which is based on Google’s AR technology Tango, enables shoppers using Tango-enabled smartphones to “virtually” place Pottery Barn merchandise in any of their rooms. The goal: to enable shoppers to see how products look and fit with their existing furniture and decor — or in an empty room.   

Pottery Barn customers in the San Francisco area will soon be able to see how a product will look in their home before they buy it.   The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will launch its first smartphone augmented reality app later this month. Called 3D Room View, the app is powered by Tango technology from Google. (It can be used only on Tango enabled smartphones.)   

Williams Sonoma Inc. on Wednesday reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings above expectations and said its board of directors authorized a dividend increase.   In a separate announcement, the company said Sandra Stangl, president of its Pottery Barn brands, will resign from the company March 31. http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/leadership-changes-home-furnishings-retailer  

New leaders are set to take the reins at Pottery Barn and its sister brands.   The company announced that Sandra Stangl, president of Pottery Barn Brands, which includes Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and PBTeen, is resigning from the company on March 31, 2017, after 23 years of service.  

The NRF Foundation has brought together leading retailers and non-profits to launch a job training and credentialing initiative called Rise Up (Retail Industry Skills & Education).   The program is designed to help people — regardless of education, background, economic means or age — acquire the skills they need to secure jobs in retail and advance into promising careers in every aspect of retail, from in-store to digital and mobile commerce, according to the NRF.  

A retailer that specializes in reproductions of classic home products and house parts is expanding under the ownership of Williams-Sonoma.       Rejuvenation will open its seventh retail location on Nov. 21, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 6,000-sq.-ft. store is the retailer’s first Midwest location.  

Hotels may just be the new frontier for retailers.    Shinola, the quirky company best known for its pricey watches, bikes and leather goods, already has its headquarters, manufacturing arm and a flagship in Detroit. Next on the agenda: a 130-room-plus boutique hotel.  

Between a partnership with Sonos and its expansion into the boutique hotel business, it’s been a busy couple of weeks for West Elm. And with it all, the home furnishings retailer continues to grow its core business.   West Elm will open its third store in Nevada, in Downtown Summerline, on Oct. 6. As part of the retailer’s Local program, eight Nevada-based makers and designers will sell their products with the store’s holiday assortment of modern furnishings and décor.