WSM vs TROW Comparison

With a retail and direct-to-consumer presence, Williams-Sonoma is a player in the nearly $300 billion domestic home category and $450 billion international home market, focused on expanding its exposure in the B2B ($80 billion total addressable market), marketplace, and franchise areas. Namesake Williams-Sonoma (152 stores) offers high-end cooking essentials, while Pottery Barn (183) provides casual home accessories. West Elm (120) is an emerging concept for young professionals, and Rejuvenation (13) offers lighting and house parts. Brand extensions include Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen (45) as well as Mark & Graham and GreenRow. Williams-Sonoma also has a business-to-business team that supports projects that range from residential to large-scale commercial.

T. Rowe Price provides asset management services for individual and institutional investors. It offers a broad range of no-load US and international stock, hybrid, bond, and money market funds. At the end of September, the firm had $1.767 trillion in managed assets, composed of equity (50%), balanced (35%), fixed-income and money market (12%), and alternative (3%) offerings. Approximately two-thirds of managed assets are held in retirement-based accounts, which provides T. Rowe Price with a somewhat stickier client base than most of its peers. The firm also manages private accounts, provides retirement planning advice, and offers discount brokerage and trust services. The company is primarily a US-based asset manager, deriving less than 10% of its AUM from overseas.