Seattle’s Sur La Table sold to international company

Seattle-based
kitchenware retailer Sur La Table has been sold to Investcorp, a Bahrain-based holding
company and investment bank. Terms were not closed.

Investcorp acquired the company from the Behnke family and the investment firm Freeman Spogli
& Co. Both parties will remain shareholders.

Sur La Table operates 86
stores throughout the United States and boasts an extensive catalog, website and
gift registry. The company also has the largest nonvocational cooking
instruction program in the country, with more than 100,000 students annually.

“We believe Sur La Table is well positioned in its existing
markets and has multiple opportunities for growth, including new store expansion
and e-commerce,” said Kevin Nickelberry, managing director at Investcorp.

Founded in 1972 with a single location near the Pike Place Market, the
companys founder, Shirley Collins, sold her store to the Behnke family in 1995.
The Behnkes expanded the company nationally with venture capital
funding.

No major layoffs or staff changes are forecast.