CB2 Expansion Plans

While the U.S. housing slowdown is crimping sales at numerous home furnishings retailers, it isn't stopping Crate and Barrel from forging ahead with plans to expand its offshoot CB2 brand.

Crate and Barrel opens its first New York-based CB2 store on Tuesday. It marks the third CB2 store, and is the retailer's first CB2 store outside of Chicago.

One reason Crate and Barrel can expand a new store concept while others are pulling back is because it is a private company that can take years to tweak a concept, said Crate and Barrel CEO Gordon Segal in an interview at the new CB2 store.

"We're not being pushed to grow too fast" by Wall Street analysts, he said. "We grow carefully. We grow deliberately. ... We're not rushing to build a quick success story."

More here.