Sur La Table
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| Founded | 1972 |
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| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Cookware, bakeware, cutlery, books, and housewares. |
| Owner(s) | Behnke family and private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. |
| Website | http://www.surlatable.com/home.do |
Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held American retail company based in Seattle, Washington, that sells gourmet cooking utensils and related merchandise, such as home appliances, food, and cookbooks. 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 /syr la tabl/.
[edit] History
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 in Berkeley, California, and, funded by venture 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's chief executive officer, and is pursuing an expansion policy of opening new stores in "lifestyle centers", "with a mix of upscale national brands and creative local merchants, anchored by an upscale or organic-themed grocery store that encourages frequent trips".[1]
As of 2005, it is the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the US, after Williams-Sonoma, Inc.[2]
Many of the stores offer cooking classes[3], which serve the dual purpose of teaching kitchen techniques and promoting the sale of Sur La Table's inventory.
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