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.
Sur La Table is currently owned by Investcorp. 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, malls and on city streets.,"with a mix of upscale national brands and creative local merchants, anchored by an upscale or organic-themed grocery store that encourages frequent trips".
As of 2005, it is the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the US, after Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Many of the stores offer cooking classes, which serve the dual purpose of teaching kitchen techniques and promoting the sale of Sur La Table's inventory.
Read more about this topic: Sur La Table
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