Home goods retailer enters new international territory

Williams-Sonoma is making its debut in South Korea.



By entering into a strategic franchise agreement with home goods retailer Hyundai Livart Furniture, Williams-Sonoma opened a combined Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids store, as well as a West Elm store in South Korea’s Hyundai City Mall Garden 5. A Williams Sonoma location opened at Hyundai Department store Mokdong. These are the first of 30 stores that Williams-Sonoma plans to open across the country over the next 10 years, according to the retailer.



The partners’ next location will be a five-story flagship store in Nonhyun-dong, Seoul, set to open in October. The superstore will include Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and West Elm. This location will represent the first time three Williams-Sonoma brands are offered in a single stand-alone location. An additional Williams Sonoma store will open in the Hyundai City Mall Daegu branch in the second half of this year, the retailer said.



“We currently operate retail stores in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and franchise our brands to third parties in a number of countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, and Mexico,” said Ronald Young, executive VP, Global of Williams–Sonoma.



“By the end of this year Williams-Sonoma will be represented at more than 145 international retail locations,” said Young. “As we begin our partnership with Livart opening our first four stores of many to come in South Korea, we look forward to the tremendous opportunity of continuing our global expansion.”