Cynthia Archer Appointed to Senior Vice President of Operations, Direct-to-Customer for Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 1999--

Cynthia Archer has joined Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) as Senior Vice President Operations, Direct-to-Customer for the company effective immediately.

Ms. Archer will head-up operations for the company's growing direct-to-customer business reporting to Pat Connolly, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Williams-Sonoma's Direct-to-Customer Division.

She will assume responsibility for Direct-to-Customer channel financial planning, inventory management, call centers, and relationships with the company's residential delivery carriers including Federal Express and North American Van Lines.

Ms. Archer graduated Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has spent the last 18 years at Conrail where she worked in multiple areas such as marketing, real estate, operations and general management. In this new role, Ms. Archer will bring an operations and logistics focus to the mail order and Internet business.

"Cynthia is an outstanding addition to the company," says Pat Connolly, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Direct-to-Customer division. "Her expansive knowledge of logistics and related processes will contribute greatly to our catalog and newly launched Internet efforts."

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the leading home-centered specialty retailer for quality and design-conscious consumers in the United States. Its professional quality and distinctive products for all rooms of the home are marketed through more than 300 retail stores and five mail order catalogs: Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Hold Everything and Chambers.

For the store nearest you or to request a catalog, please call 1-800-541-2233 or log-on to our corporate website, www.williamssonomainc.com.