Founded
21.05.20254min
Inspire our customers to build a home with purpose
Inspire our customers to build a home with purpose
To ensure continued success in a fundamentally changing competitive environment, the Otto Group invests selectively in market- relevant business models and Group companies that are expected to deliver particularly good performance and high growth. The aim is to then scale these ventures to increase market share within targeted markets.
Crate and Barrel, the Otto Group’s US-based home furnishings and lifestyle company, exemplifi es how using the core strength of the omni-channel experience drives future viability and enables growth. The secret to its success: a passion for sustainable products, stylish designs and the ability to surround the customer with innovative services that inspire.
Crate and Barrel is impressive proof that focus on the right strategy, talent and tenacity can fuel growth. Founded in 1962, the Crate and Barrel brand has evolved into Crate and Barrel Holdings, and includes Crate and Barrel, Crate and Kids, CB2, and Hudson Grace. Today, the company has more than 7,500 employees who place customers at the center of everything they do through a very successful, omnichannel network. For example, the Crate and Barrel, Crate and Kids, and CB2 brands are not only united in their monogramming and wedding and baby registry programs – they all offer free personal design services online, in-store, and even in the customer’s home. Designers align professional expertise with customer preferences to create personalized mood boards, floor plans, and realistic 3D design previews for single rooms or entire homes and businesses, using products from one or all three of these brands.
1962
+100
Stores in the USA and Canada
7,500
Employees
Inspiring living spaces
Enter a Crate and Barrel, CB2, or Hudson Grace store and you will find yourself inspired by a variety of beautifully arranged collections – over 80 percent of which are vertically designed, manufactured, and therefore exclusive. There are displays for every room inside and outside of the home, radiating style, quality, and comfort. This is exactly what their customers are looking for – whether in the company’s hometown of Chicago, or in any one of the other more than one hundred stores in the USA and Canada, or in any of the franchise locations in seven other countries.
In our flagship store in New York, our customers experience our brand in all its facets.
The New York flagship store is located in a historic building and former department store dating back to 1868. Today, it’s more than just a place to shop – it’s a space for creativity and inspiration, where home dreams come true and the brand’s values are brought to life in a truly unique way.
The extensive in-store offerings and innovative services are also available online through brand websites in the USA, Canada, and select franchise countries, as well as via mobile applications for Crate and Barrel, Crate and Kids, and CB2. All channels come together to create a seamless, well-integrated omni-channel experience.
The 2024 Flatiron flagship store launch in New York City exemplifies the Crate and Barrel brand’s innovative advancements in customer centricity within its scaled and diversified multichannel approach. The store blends the strengths of virtual and physical environments to offer a unique shopping experience. On two floors and over 2,100 square meters, the store’s product assortment is specially curated for New York customers and provides an array of special events and personalized services, including floral arrangements and one-day delivery services. An accompanying virtual store replicates the flagship space, and invites online customers to a magical multichannel experience through augmented reality.
By scaling Crate and Barrel’s successful business model, we are further expanding our market share in the USA.
Strong expertise for a turnaround
For CEO Janet Hayes, this store represents the future of the company: “This flagship store embodies our aspiration to inspire and support customers at every step of their shopping journey. The ability to seamlessly experience our brand and services physically and digitally, is crucial for customers. It will enable them to create a home tailored to their individual needs. Regardless of the sales channel, they will always receive the same high level of service and standard of product offering.”
Over the past five years, Crate and Barrel has evolved further under Janet’s leadership, focusing even more strongly today in the areas of product selection, customer service, and operations. A new strategy has been put into place to optimize both store and online environments with improved visual presentations and a thoughtfully reduced curation of product. On top of this, substantial investments have been made in the technical and logistical infrastructure over the past two years, successfully strengthening the company’s future viability. Altogether, Crate and Barrel has been able to achieve a turnaround – nearly doubling its size.
Considerable expansion of the Crate and Barrel and CB2 brands in the USA is planned in the coming years by increasing their store footprint in the double- digit range, driving further growth in the omnichannel business – subject to the potential impact of the current geopolitical turmoil. “Scaling the successful Crate and Barrel business model helps us to considerable further expand our market share in the USA. It is our goal to show growth in both the medium and long term – particularly in an international context such as North America,” says Sergio Bucher, Executive Board member for Brands and Retail, outlining the Otto Group’s strategic direction.
© picture credits Alpha Smoot, Charlotte Schreiber, Crate and Barrel
