Williams-Sonoma has its best year ever with its Milestone Brands (they're with you for life)

Dude, where's my wine valise?... Williams-Sonoma is the furniture and kitchenware retailer that probably invented wedding registries. It calls itself “the world’s largest digital-first, design-led, and sustainable home retailer” (with that many descriptors, it’s hard not to be first). WS just had its best year of sales growth ever, thanks to the House Hype.

• Growing together: All of WS' brands — William Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm — saw double-digit growth for the quarter and the full year.
• Growing faster: Total sales jumped 26% last quarter from 2019, accelerating from previous quarters.
• Growing post-pandemic: WS isn't worried, saying people will decorate homes to entertain guests. It also has a “substantial luggage business” to complement travel. See: wine valise.

More than hype... It's no surprise that WS thrived in the coronaconomy — its mission is literally to “enhance the quality of people’s lives at home” (womp). But it also benefited from something that's rare in the home goods industry: a digital-first strategy. WS launched ecommerce waaay back in 1998 — now, online-first is one of its key differentiators.

• 80% of all US home goods sales come from stores. But 70% of William Sonoma's sales happen online.
• That online expertise prepped WS to thrive in 2020 and reach Millennials, who have driven its recent growth. But it has another differentiator, too...