Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn to depart Delaware

Two popular home goods and furnishings brands owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will soon be no longer shoppable in-store in the state of Delaware.

Employees at the Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn stores at Christiana Mall in Newark have told Delaware Online that their stores will close on Jan. 21. “Store Clearance Sale” and “All Sales Final At This Location” signs are posted in front of both shops, which  have been open at the mall for 25 years.

All items at both stores were being offered at 20% off.

After they close, the nearest Pottery Barn for Newark residents will be found 25 miles away in Glen Mills, Pa., and the closest Williams-Sonoma store will be 50 miles away in Baltimore.

In its third quarter report, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. reported it had significantly exceeded expectations with a record third quarter operating margin of 17%.

“These results were achieved in an environment filled with ongoing consumer hesitancy on high-ticket discretionary furniture spend and elevated levels of promotional activity,” said president and CEO Laura Alber.

Williams-Sonoma was the only brand in the company—which also owns West Elm and Pottery Barn Kids and Teen—that posted a revenue decline during the quarter.

‘The closings are a rare storm cloud for a Christiana Mall that has otherwise successfully bucked many of the apocalyptic retail trends at most indoor shopping malls since the rise of online shopping,” Delaware Online reported.

Christiana Mall is anchored by Nordstrom, Macy’s, Target, and JCPenney. Other key tenants include Apple, H&M, Barnes & Noble, Express and Aeropostale.

Just last month, Williams-Sonoma opened a 5,317-sq.-ft. store at  the newly renovated Huntington Shopping Center in Huntington, N.Y., which is adjacent to the Walt Whitman Mall on the town’s Route 110 retail corridor.