CEO of Pottery Barn Brands to Step Down
New and Improved Take:
HEADS UP: This ain't your grandma's corporate news!*
Breaking: Pottery Barn Brand's big cheese, Marta Benson, is calling it quits, according to a Williams-Sonoma, Inc. announcement this past Friday. Benson, who's been on top at Pottery Barn since 2015, is set to retire on April 26, wrapping up a 13-year tenure with the San Francisco-based company.
So, who's taking over the reins? Monica Bhargava, current President of Pottery Barn, and Jennifer Kellor, the boss lady of Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen, are stepping up to the plate, per the company.
Now, you may be thinking, "What gives?" Well, Pottery Barn's third quarter comp brand revenue took a 16.6% hit compared to last year, reaching a net revenue of $778 million. Don't feel too bad for 'em, though, as that's still the highest net revenue across Williams-Sonoma's brand portfolio. Pottery Barn Kids and Teen dropped to third place with a 6.9% comp brand decline and a net revenue of $277 million. Alternatively, West Elm claimed the top spot.
Benson first joined Williams-Sonoma back in 2011 and made a splash by leading the acquisition of Rejuvenation, a lighting, home improvement, and furniture brand. She also developed Mark and Graham, a personalized gift-giving brand that focuses on typography and design. Before Williams-Sonoma, Benson served as CEO to turn around high-end jewelry and housewares store Gump's in San Francisco and as the senior vice president of merchandising and marketing at RH (formerly Restoration Hardware). Under her leadership, the company's physical store footprint and direct-to-consumer business skyrocketed from zero to $220 million in six years.
Last year, Williams-Sonoma flinched under the weight of high customer shipping costs and was subjected to pandemic-related supply chain disruptions causing late shipments and customer service issues.
With over 50 years of service between them, Bhargava and Kellor are the perfect pair to fill Benson's shoes. Bhargava has been with the company for 22 years and was previously the chief design officer for Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma Home. Kellor, who's been at the company since 1997, served as senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Pottery Barn Teen and held a similar role for Pottery Barn Kids.
Pottery Barn first opened its doors back in 1949 and was snatched up by Williams-Sonoma in 1986. The company debuted Pottery Barn Kids in 1999 and Pottery Barn Teen in 2003. As of July 30, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids together had 236 stores out of a total of 532 in the Williams-Sonoma corporate portfolio.
- The ongoing pandemic has LinkedIn abuzz with discussions about the recent updates in the retail industry, as Pottery Barn Brand's CEO, Marta Benson, is retiring after a 13-year tenure.
- In an unexpected move, Benson's successors, Monica Bhargava and Jennifer Kellor, are set to take over the helm at Pottery Bern, with Bhargava having been the chief design officer for the brand.
- The announcement comes at a time when Pottery Barn's third quarter comp brand revenue saw a 16.6% decline, reaching a net revenue of $778 million, but still holding the highest net revenue across Williams-Sonoma's brand portfolio.
- Staffing changes are not the only indicators of shifts within the corporate industry, as AI integration increasingly becomes more commonplace in business operations.
- One of Benson's notable accomplishments during her time at Williams-Sonoma was the acquisition of Rejuvenation, followed by the development of Mark and Graham, a personalized gift-giving brand.
- With her extensive experience, Benson also served as the CEO to turn around high-end jewelry and housewares store Gump's and as the senior vice president of merchandising and marketing at RH (formerly Restoration Hardware).
- The new appointments at Pottery Barn arrive amidst challenges faced by the company last year, including high customer shipping costs and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions causing late shipments and customer service issues.
