CEO of Pottery Barn Brands Steps Down from Position
A Look at Pottery Barn's Changes
Marta Benson, the president of Pottery Barn Brands, has announced her retirement, effective April 26, as Williams-Sonoma confirmed last Friday. Benson had been with the brand for nearly seven years, and her role expanded to CEO of Pottery Barn Brands since January last year.
Stepping into her position will be Monica Bhargava, current Pottery Barn President, and Jennifer Kellor, president of Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen. Both Bhargava and Kellor have been with Williams-Sonoma for over 20 years, having started in the late 90s.
Although Pottery Barn reported a 16.6% drop in its third-quarter comp brand revenue compared to the previous year, it still posted a net revenue of $778 million, the highest among Williams-Sonoma's brand portfolio. The Pottery Barn Kids and Teen brand saw a 6.9% decline in comp brand revenue, with a net revenue of $277 million, down from $299 million a year ago.
Marta Benson joined Williams-Sonoma in 2011 and is credited for leading the acquisition of the lighting, home improvement, and furniture brand, Rejuvenation. She also developed Mark and Graham, a personalized gift-giving brand.
Before joining Williams-Sonoma, Benson was CEO of high-end jewelry and housewares store Gump's in San Francisco and served as the senior vice president of merchandising and marketing at RH (Restoration Hardware). During her tenure at RH, Benson expanded the physical store footprint and direct-to-consumer business from zero to $220 million in six years.
Last year, Williams-Sonoma reported that high customer shipping costs impacted the selling margin, and the company faced challenges due to pandemic-related supply chain disruptions resulting in late shipments and service issues.
Benson's career history and roles at Gump's and RH, however, are not well-documented in publicly available resources. A more comprehensive understanding of her professional journey may be found through additional authoritative sources or updated professional profiles.
- The ongoing pandemic has linked the supply chain disruptions Williams-Sonoma faced last year with higher customer shipping costs.
- Marta Benson, the retired president of Pottery Barn Brands, played a role in expanding the physical store footprint and direct-to-consumer business at RH (Restoration Hardware).
- Monica Bhargava, the new president of Pottery Barn Brands, has spent over 20 years with Williams-Sonoma, starting in the late 90s.
- In her role as CEO of Pottery Barn Brands, Marta Benson was credited with leading the acquisition of the brand Rejuvenation.
- As AI continues to impact the business world, more comprehensive information about professionals like Marta Benson can be found through LinkedIn or other updated professional profiles.
- Even in the midst of the pandemic-induced downturn, Pottery Barn's third-quarter comp brand revenue still posted net revenues of $778 million, a testament to adaptive leadership in corporate America.
