West Elm to open first UK store this week
West Elm, the Williams-Sonoma owned home furnishings retailer, will open its first UK store in London later this week.
Launching on 5 December, the 12,000 sq ft store on Tottenham Court Road will feature furniture, textiles, accessories and gifts, as well as a West Elm Market shop-in-shop and coffee shop. The store will employ a 30-strong team of full and part time sales staff.
Laura Alber, president and chief executive of Williams-Sonoma, said: “We’re excited to continue Williams-Sonoma Inc’s global expansion and announce the opening date of our first West Elm store in Europe. West Elm is our fastest growing brand, and has proven successful in markets around the world. We’re looking forward to the response to our new store in the UK.”
To mark the opening, the London store will include a gallery wall featuring art from UK artists sourced through Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade or vintage items. Curated by Will Taylor of the Bright.Bazaar blog, the gallery will include art from Natalie Singh, Amyisla Illustration, Lola Donoghue, Eloise Renouf and James Brown, all of which will be available to buy framed and ready to hang.
In addition, West Elm has teamed up with UK artist Ben Treanor of Old English Company to create an exclusive West Elm London tote bag which will be given free to the first 300 shoppers who spend a minimum of £50.
Among its suite of services, the store will offer access to a Design Lab where customers can receive complementary design consultations and space planning sessions. The store will also host a range of workshops and classes.
Jim Brett, president of West Elm, said: “The city of London has such vibrant communities centered around design and innovation. I couldn’t think of a better location for our first West Elm store in Europe. We are confident the broad assortment, globally-inspired aesthetic and engaging in-store experience of West Elm will appeal to customers in the UK.”
