Williams-Sonoma Inc.

As retailers industry-wide search for the ideal customer engagement program, Williams-Sonoma is getting back to basics.  

Photo: Sonya Gafsi Oblisk    Whole Foods Market named the former VP of marketing for Walmart’s Sam’s Club division as global VP of marketing.  

TRENDING STORES: Hello Kitty‘s pop-up café, at Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, Calif., has been drawing crowds since it opened in July. It’s housed in a shipping container that’s been painted pink and refurbished with a counter and dining patio area, complete with bistro tables and pink-and-white striped awnings. Character graphics adorn the exterior and interior container panels. The café will remain open for a year.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported mixed results for the second quarter, and issued a weak outlook for the current quarter amid "a more cautious consumer.”   The retailer reported net earnings of $51.8 million for the quarter ended July 31, compared with $53.7 million in the year-ago period.   Net revenues increased 2.1% to $1.16 billion, short of expectations, up from $1.13 billion last year.   

Beauty giant Sephora scores the highest when it comes to online gifting.    That’s according to RSR Research’s sixth annual digital gifting benchmarking report.  Sephora came out on top, scoring 55 points out of a possible 66 points, followed by Starbucks (50.5) and The Home Depot (46.5). Rounding out the top five: Dunkin’ Donuts (44.5) and Amazon (43). (The top 25 retailers in the study are listed at the end of article.)    

West Elm opened its 100th store, at Empire Stores, in Brooklyn, New York. It is the first tenant to officially open in the restored 19th-century coffee roasting facility and warehouse.   Located in Brooklyn’s Fulton Ferry Historic District, Empire Stores dates from 1869. Its massive red-brick walls feature distinctive round-arch openings and iron shutters, characteristic features of port warehouses of the period. The home furnishings retailer also has located its corporate headquarters within the building.  

Home furnishings retailer West Elm will open a new store in downtown Reno, Nevada, on Aug. 11.    The 11,000-sq.-ft. store is located on the main floor of the former U.S. Post Office building, which has been transformed into The Basement marketplace, an underground venue with a mission to create a multi-use incubator space of both retail and food vendors celebrating handicraft.   

A retailer that specializes in reproductions of classic lighting products and house parts is quietly expanding under the ownership of Williams-Sonoma.