Williams-Sonoma Inc. is going international.
The San Francisco home furnishings and cooking retailer has signed a deal with M.H. Alshaya Co. to franchise its Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids brands in the Middle East. The first four stores will open in Dubai and Kuwait in 2010.
M.H. Alshaya Co. operates franchises for more than 50 global brands.
The expansion comes as the U.S. furniture retailers have been hard hit by the housing slowdown. Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported revenue of $612 million for the first quarter ended May 3, 2009, a 21.8 percent decline from revenue of $782 million for the same period a year earlier.
