Sur La Table

Sur La Table
Private
Industry Retail
Founded 1972
Headquarters Seattle, Washington, USA
Number of locations
 119
Products Cookware, bakeware, cutlery, small electrics, cooks tools and housewares.
Owner Investcorp
Website http://www.surlatable.com/

Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held American retail company based in Seattle, Washington, that sells kitchenware products, including cookware, cutlery, cooks' tools, small electrics, tabletop and linens, bakeware, glassware and bar, housewares, food and outdoor. As of December 2012, Sur La Table sells products in over 100 stores in 27 states across the country and the District of Columbia, as well as through their web site and catalogs. Cooking classes are available in 41 stores. The company launched a new website and gift registry program in January 2011.

In French, sur la table means on the table. French pronunciation: ​[syʁ la tabl] [1]

History

Sur La Table's Pike Place location in Seattle, Washington.

Shirley Collins founded Sur La Table in 1972, opening a single retail location in Seattle's Pike Place Market. In 1995, Collins sold the company.

Sur La Table is currently owned by Investcorp.[2] Corporate headquarters are located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood. Jack Schwefel, who was the company's chief executive officer until he was removed by Investcorp in September 2014, advocated an expansion policy of opening new stores in lifestyle centers, malls, and on city streets, "with a mix of upscale national brands and creative local merchants, anchored by an upscale or organic-themed grocery store that encourages frequent trips."[3]

As of 2005, it is the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the US, after Williams-Sonoma, Inc.[3]

Many of the stores offer cooking classes,[4] which serve the dual purpose of teaching kitchen techniques and promoting the sale of Sur La Table's inventory.

References

  1. ↑ Oxford French Minidictionary. Oxford University Press. 2002. p. 279. ISBN 0-19-860467-X.
  2. ↑ Sale of Sur La Table may be recipe for growth
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tice, Carol (June 24, 2005). "A wiser Sur La Table picks its outlets selectively". Puget Sound Business Journal.
  4. ↑ http://www.surlatable.com/category/Web-Cooking-Root/Cooking-Classes

External links