Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma reported that profit for the third quarter rose 19 percent to $43.4 million from $36.5 million in the same period last year. Revenue rose 6 percent to $867.2 million, compared with $815.5 million last year, solidly beating Wall Street’s expected $855.7 million in revenue.

Williams-Sonoma is the first omnichannel retailer to enable consumers to purchase and send electronic gift cards with their smartphones. Working with CashStar, the retailer is adding the ability to purchase and send e-gift cards via all five of its brands' mobile websites.

Donating unwanted products to organizations that help people in times of need is undoubtedly a win-win for retailers. But as many companies have found, getting the right products to the right people isn’t always easy.

Google Catalogs has doubled its collection of catalogs to include more than 100 brands and 300 individual catalogs from brands such as Williams-Sonoma, Sephora and Nordstrom.

The Supreme Court of California recently ruled that collecting ZIP codes from customers who paid by credit card may subject merchants to class-action lawsuits. Dozens of such actions have already been filed, including against retailers "yet to be named." Reported settlements paid by some companies have exceeded $25 million. The lesson is clear: All retailers should review their customer information collection practices in light of California law (and other states) to avoid becoming the target of class-action lawyers.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma and Barclaycard announced Thursday a new co-branded Visa credit card and loyalty program, allowing cardholders to earn points redeemable for culinary-themed awards and enjoy a wide range of perks.

Williams-Sonoma said its second-quarter profit climbed 28 percent and narrowly trumped Wall Street's outlook as its newly launched global online shipping websites helped catapult e-commerce sales.

Googe has created Google Catalogs, a free app for tablet devices that enables you to browse all of your favorite catalogs and interact with new layers of rich-media content. The Google Catalogs app features digital versions of catalogs across many popular categories, including fashion and apparel, beauty, jewelry, home, kids and gifts.

Williams-Sonoma is planning a U.K. launch in 2012, according to a report by The Independent newspaper. The report said the company has appointed a U.K. retail property agent and plans to open its first store in the first half of next year.

London -- A Friday report by the United Kingdom’s The Independent newspaper said that San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma is planning a U.K. launch in 2012. The report said that the company has appointed a U.K. retail property agent and plans to open its first store in the first half of next year. Plans call for a London debut and the report said the retailer is seeking 5,000-sq.-ft. to 8,000-sq.-ft. spaces.