Roger Laverty Jr. joined Williams-Sonoma’s board.

The appointment came shortly after the senior executive with Los Angeles-based Smart & Final Iris (formerly Thriftimart) disclosed in a filing with the SEC that he had acquired a 5.2% interest in the Emeryville, Calif.-based specialty retailer for investment purposes. W. Howard Lester, president and chief executive of Williams-Sonoma, owns 22.3% of the company, while James. A. McMahan, a director, owns 17.1% of the 2.6 million shares outstanding.