by Michelle Hespe The owner of Australian IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) Global Honoree JUMBLED has always focused on choosing the right products to create sparks of joy in an enchanting place that has a true sense of soul and community. When it came to setting up her now thriving…
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Perfectly Porland
Porland of Turkey, one of the five gia Global Honorees this year, has a long, rich and colorful history. We look into what makes this manufacturer and retailer of porcelain stand out from the rest. by Michelle Hespe Porland’s logo features a ballerina executing a perfect pirouette. This…
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Housewares Charity Foundation Raises $1.8 Million at Annual Gala
The housewares industry came together to raise $1.8 million during the 2019 Housewares Cares Charity Gala presented by the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) on Monday, March 4. Proceeds from the event, held at Chicago’s Navy Pier, benefited the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the HCF’s…
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CHESS 2018 Recap: Reduce Motivation for More Tariffs
Presented by: Harry Moser Founder and president, Reshoring Initiative Sell More “Made in USA” Product to Reduce Motivation for More Tariffs Harry Moser discussed the increasing advantages of reshoring now driving U.S. retailers and manufacturers to bring back manufacturing to North America.…
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CHESS 2018 Recap: How Brands Must Evolve to Thrive in the Digital Age
Presented by: Sucharita Kodali, vice president and principal analyst, e-business and channel strategy, Forrester Research Kodali studies retailers and brands in the rapidly evolving retail landscape. She offered proprietary Forrester Research data and insight about digital business strategy,…
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CHESS 2018 Recap: Trends Facing the Future of the U.S. Retail Landscape
Don Unser The NPD Group, Inc. Trends Shaping the Future of the U.S. Retail Landscape Don Unser prefaced his remarks by noting that he would present a trend outline with supporting data for the U.S. retail market, while at the same time some of these same concepts are playing out in other…
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April Currency Outlook
In their April 2019 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief The Federal Reserve did not increase interest rates, however, the USD is up half of a percent The global…
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Global Retail Intelligence – April
To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: April 17 – Canadian Tire Expands Loyalty Program Canadian Tire is expanding the reach of its loyal program members by offering collection and redemption at more than 100 new partner locations including Atmosphere Hockey Experts,…
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To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: March 19 – India’s Reliance Retail to Open New Stores Reliance Retail plans to expand its low-cost fashion store network Reliance Trends to 2,500 locations within the next five years. From Retail News Asia March 18 – Walmart…
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Ocean Contract Negotiations Moving Forward
The 2019-20 ocean contract negotiations have officially begun for cargo moving from Asia to the United States. Based on the initial proposals from the ocean carriers, it is clear they are trying to capitalize on last year’s space crisis. Carriers stated earlier this year that shippers should expect…
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IHSA to Introduce “Core Carrier” Program
The carrier landscape has changed dramatically over the last five years. Carrier consolidation has been a game changer. With fewer entities, the carriers now have a much greater ability to manage capacity in their favor. We believe the carriers will continue to manage capacity for the foreseeable…
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Contract Negotiations Bring Many Questions for Shippers
The 2018 peak season in the Eastbound Transpacific market has thankfully come to an end. Carrier capacity constraints and an unprecedented increase in volume caused rates to skyrocket and created a space crisis that crippled US supply chains. Shippers are hoping that 2019 will offer some stability…
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Retail Profile: The Common Housefly
Location: Black Mountain, N.C. Owners: Michael and Marcia Liss Founded: 2005 Square footage: 1,500 sq. ft. Rent or Own: Own Michael Liss likes to joke that his store, The Common Housefly, has 3,000 square feet of product “crammed” into 1,500-square feet of space. That sort of abundance lends…
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Retail Profile: Artichoke
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Owners: Karen and Brad Hughes Founded: 2016 Square Footage: 883 sq. ft. Own or Rent: Own If you can’t shop at Artichoke in person, you can visit via a virtual reality version of the Cincinnati store. Available on the Artichoke website, the virtual store allows…
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Stats: Americans Still on Facebook
As independent specialty retailers work to build their social media outreach along a variety of platforms, Facebook continues to be the place to go to reach the most consumers. According to the latest surveys from the Pew Research Center, even with Facebook’s recent scandals, Americans are using the…
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The Art of Organization
We speak to Sharon Tindell— President and Chief Merchandising Office at The Container Store — for an insider’s view of how this iconic 40-year-old retailer retains its coveted spot as the leading organizational store in the U.S. by Michelle Hespe People love to buy things. To own things.…
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Think About Drink: Beverage Trends in Retail
At the 2019 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, the Trending Today Preview features the specialty beverage movement– highlighting the various types of craft beverage trends, including coffee, beer, cocktails and water, along with specialty glassware and accessories, craft beer &…
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Cultivating Your Concept
We chat with Wolfgang Gruschwitz about how to create a successful concept retail store. by Michelle Hespe “What is your story?” That would be the first question that Wolfgang Gruschwitz would ask if you engaged his team to develop a successful retail store. Wolfgang is a consultant in the…
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