When the Segals first came up with the name for their new business, they had originally wanted to call it Barrel and Crate. It was at the suggestion of a friend that they swapped the order and came up with Crate and Barrel. When you think about it, the name of the store is actually ingenious.
It makes you think of something very rustic and that is precisely what they were going for thematically. They took this idea to the next level by creating displays for their goods literally out of crates and barrels.
They were thrifty and saved money in the process. The Segals used the crates that the merchandise was shipped to them in and turned them over, stacked them in the appropriate configurations, strategically placed the packing wood excelsior from the crates to cushion the goods and used these to set up the attractive and rustic looking displays. This was a brilliant way to drive home the fact that the items really were direct imports that were fresh out of the packing crates.
The small company had been so successful that the Segals realized that it was time to expand, but they wanted to do it the right way. They took a trip to the Design Research store in Cambridge with designer Lon Habkirk to learn more about the approach they should take to retailing. They were looking for a formula that could be replicated to open more store locations and this trip influenced the way that they handled the expansion of the business to maintain the purism in their original store.
Just six years after the first Crate and Barrel was opened, the Segals were opening their second location. This one was in Wilmette, Illinois. By , they had their third store in the emerging chain open in Oak Brook, Illinois. By , another store opening followed in Boston and this was followed just two years later with a second store in Chicago.
This coincided with the opening of a branch in Cambridge Massachusetts which was the second in that town also. They were well on their way to becoming the amazing and thriving business that they are today.
The first store was in Manhattan and it also happened to be the fifty-ninth Crate and Barrel store to open. In , the store was thriving and the Segals decided that it was time to let somebody else take the reigns. A German company called the Otto Group started by buying a majority stake in the store. It was a mail order company and they were solid and able to take the company to yet greater heights of expansion. The Otto group purchased the rest of the shares in to become the sole owner of Crate and Barrel and they are still the total owners of the chain today.
Under the Otto Group, they made the bold step to expand into Canada. Their first Canadian store was a two-story operation located in Toronto, Ontario.
The first store was a success, so Crate and Barrel continued expanding throughout Canada adding stores in Calgary, Edmonton, Alberta, in Quebec and in British Columbia. This was the first time that the company had taken their business outside of the borders of America. The store was so popular throughout the United States and Canada that they decided to expand the business yet further beyond the borders of North America.
In , they made the announcement that they had signed a franchise agreement for a store to open in Dubai in , with the Al Tayer Group. The first store that the company opened in Asian was at Ion Orchard in Singapore. The two-floor retail outlet opened in January This was followed by a store in Taipei and one in Taichung in Taiwan, for a total of three stores throughout Asia.
Crate and Barrel has continued to expand their international operations. After placing three stores in Asia, they moved forward and secured a spot at the Parque La Colina Mall after striking a franchise agreement with the popular retail store Falabella, in Bogota, Columbia. This location was officially opened in December of The CB2 store that is located in Toronto has a different tone than most others. They still provide the same upmarket housewares that the rest of the outlets do, but they display them a bit differently.
They put items together as they might appear if they were arranged in a home. This was followed by fourteen additional stores in various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Crate and Barrel acquired The Land of Nod in After the acquisition of the company, Crate and Barrel made the decision to phase out the Land of Nod and close all of the stores by the Spring of In , Turf retired and Sascha Bopp was her replacement. Within one year of being on the job, morale dropped among employees at significant levels.
The holiday season also showed poor performance. It was discovered that Bopp had made some poor management decisions along with staffing policies that were upsetting to the workers. She was terminated in the summer of , but the company had no replacement in sight yet. At a young age, the Segals wanted their new business to be different and interesting with an image that no other retailer offered. It appeared that the pair had remarkable business savvy as they designed the store and the products they would sell in a counterculture styling, far removed from traditional storefronts and display themes.
I had grown up in the restaurant business, so I knew about service but not about retail. You go ahead with your passions, and you rush forward without a great deal of thought.
They were correct in assuming that other young couples would like tasteful European imports for beautifying their homes with practical yet aesthetically pleasing items. However, they had no idea that their collection would convert a small business into a chain of stores and outlets that would become a market trend and a venture that would make them incredibly wealthy.
The first inventory items consisted of French copper pots, hand blown Swedish glassware, Danish flatware, white bistro dinnerware and unique European modern style ceramics. They bought directly from the factories and had the merchandise shipped to their Chicago store. Gordon and Carole visited Europe and met with small artisans and craftsmen and with factories who were willing to give them a good deal on their products, for reasonable resale prices that would still allow them to make a profit.
The simplicity of their plan was brilliant. The fact that their offerings were direct European imports would make them more attractive to the American public. As their business began to take off, the couple began to realize that they may be on to something big with their enterprise. They set out to learn from retailers in Denmark and Italy. They discovered that using color and special lighting techniques would make their store and its contents more appealing.
They were figuring out that the small details could make a big difference. The theme of the store would draw more people in if it made sense and had some coherency. They adopted a philosophy about design that required it to be functional and practical yet attractive.
Segal noticed in a door to door fundraising trip for a charity that the furnishings in the homes he viewed were often sparse or out of style. This gave him an idea for the store. He saw a need for tasteful furniture to enhance the interior of otherwise nice homes. He and Carole set about finding affordable pieces in the French Traditional style that would tie in with the theme of their other offerings.
Their hunch was right and the store experienced growth with increased sales. Gordon Segal developed a relationship with designer Lon Habkirk who accompanied him on a visit to the Design Research store located in Cambridge Massachusetts. After the opening of the Oak Brook location, the first store outside of Chicago opened in Boston, Massachusetts. It was followed by a series of expansions with stores opening their doors for business in Dallas, Texas in , In San Francisco, California in and the opening of what would become their Flagship store in on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, the home city of the original shop.
The opening of the new Manhattan, New York location was the 59th store in the rapidly expanding retail chain. The expansion was expensive, but the company was bringing in good revenues. A major stake of the company was sold to the Otto group and this meant financing for yet further expansion.
In late , there were more than locations operating, including regular stores and outlets. By , Otto acquired sole ownership of the company. Since its acquisition by The Otto Group, new product lines have joined the family with brands including The Land of Nod, CB2 and a variety of European branded products from both large and small factories.
A launch of 40 new stores is planned to begin in
0コメント