- Sur La Table
Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held American retail company based in
Seattle, Washington , that sells gourmetcooking utensils and related merchandise, such asappliance s, food, andcookbook s. As of 2008, Sur La Table sells products in 70+ stores in 26 states across the country and the District of Coumbia, as well as through their web site and catalogs.Cooking classes are available through about 20 of their stores.In French, "sur la table" means "on the table" and is pronounced /sir lah taab-leh/.
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 to the Behnke family of Seattle, who soon opened a second location inBerkeley, California , and, funded byventure capital proceeded to expand the company and open new locations nationwide.Sur La Table is currently owned by a group of private investors, including the Behnke family and private equity firm
Freeman Spogli & Co. Corporate headquarters are located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood. Jack Schwefel is the company'schief executive officer , and is pursuing an expansion policy of opening new stores in "lifestyle centers", "with a mix of upscale nationalbrand s and creative local merchants, anchored by an upscale or organic-themedgrocery store that encourages frequent trips". [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/06/27/focus13.html]As of 2005, it is the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the US, after
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/06/27/focus13.html?page=2]Many of the stores offer cooking classes [http://www.surlatable.com/cooking/index.cfm] , which serve the dual purpose of teaching kitchen techniques and promoting the sale of Sur La Table's inventory.
External links
* [http://www.surlatable.com/ Sur La Table homepage]
* [http://giftreg.surlatable.com/ Wedding and Gift Registry]
* [http://www.hoovers.com/sur-la-table/--ID__138967--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Company overview from Hoover's]
* [http://www.surlatable.com/category/company+info/careers.do Careers at Sur La Table]ources
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/06/27/focus13.html "A wiser Sur La Table picks its outlets selectively", "Puget Sound Business Journal", June 24, 2005]
* [http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=surlatable14&date=20030814 "Retailer Sur La Table heads for major expansion", "Seattle Times", August 14, 2003]
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