By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator
Learn how to develop and launch the right products for the right customer—with the right methods! Be sure to attend some of the free executive-level educational sessions at the Innovation Theater. These programs will give you a new perspective as you walk the Show and will inspire, inform and improve your business.
The four days of the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show will be packed with events and educational sessions. To help you plan your valuable time at the Show, we preview the 21 presentations that will take place in the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center. Don’t miss the chance to meet the speakers in person and for the opportunity to ask questions relevant to your work. All programs are audio-recorded and will be available on www.housewares.org after the Show.
Homewares: Trends and Opportunities around the World—2014 and Beyond
Saturday, March 7 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Innovation Theater, Lakeside Center, Room E350
Today we are speaking with Cruz del Barrio, head of home and garden research at Euromonitor International. London-based, Ms. del Barrio has led the the research program for the home and garden industry at Euromonitor International since July 2011. She has direct responsibility for the content and quality of Euromonitor’s research, which provides strategic analysis of the global market and in-depth coverage of the industry in 32 countries world-wide for gardening, home improvement, home furnishings and homewares. Before heading the home and garden industry, Cruz worked on Euromonitor’s country research on the Spain and UK desk for four and one-half years. Cruz has represented the home and garden industry at leading events including the Home Improvement Forum, spoga+gafa and the International Textile Manufacturing Federation (ITMF) annual conference.
Her program will present a comprehensive overview of the global homewares market combined with detailed trends and market analysis on a geographic level. Audience members with all levels of market knowledge will find key takeaways in this presentation and information on current trends will help them to prepare for what Euromonitor expects to happen over the next five years.
Ms. Del Barrio, what is the most exciting or rewarding part of your job? What inspires your passion in your work?
I have spent the last three years heading Euromonitor’s home and garden database, and in that time have enjoyed most working with our passionate and knowledgeable country analysts around the world who contribute to this database, as well as the clients themselves, while getting to understand their processes of working, their needs and ultimately helping to solve their problems… It’s hugely rewarding… And it’s never a dull day – from robotic garden hoses to bathroom textiles!
Why did you choose to speak at the International Home + Housewares Show?
The International Home + Housewares Show is the biggest and best event in the world for housewares, it’s a great honor to be asked to present… and a fantastic opportunity to meet clients and other players in the industry, to exchange ideas about where the industry is headed and feel the buzz.
Tell us what you will be speaking about and how and this topic is important for Show audiences.
My presentation, World Trends and Opportunities in Homewares, will cover the main trends in our business, on a global and regional level… I’ll be looking at some country case studies as well as the current operating environment for players, with a focus on star performers, such as stovetop cookware and ovenware, so the audience can identify growth opportunities for their business and anticipate the future armed with ideas.
This is your first time presenting at our Theater. What are you looking forward to most from speaking at the Innovation Theater?
I am most excited to present the trends and opportunities in home and garden to a wide audience who I know will benefit and learn from the information we research. As this will be my first time attending and presenting at the International Home + Housewares Show, I am looking forward to seeing everything the Show has to offer and talking with key players in the industry.
What do you see as consumers’ biggest concerns regarding housewares products? What are some of today’s trends or issues that new product development professionals and/or retailers face in the housewares market?
One of the key factors in housewares sales is the housing market – typically, optimism in the property market will drive sales. Housewares benefit from both movements to new homes and interest in improving existing homes, so the current housing crisis in some of Europe’s largest housewares markets such as the UK and the attendant financial crisis in homewares’ largest region, Western Europe, has resulted in patchy growth here. Both consumers and manufacturers are affected. This is, however, offset by developing regions such as Asia-Pacific, where rising female income from the increasing number of females in the workforce is an important factor in growing homeware sales, changing home habits and driving demand for improved quality and performance in homewares.
Thank you, Cruz, for summarizing your work and what you will speak about at our Show. Your presentation should attract an international audience eager to learn more about markets around the world.
Contact Cruz at
Cruz del Barrio
Head of Home and Garden Research
Euromonitor International
60-61 Britton Street
EC1M 5UX
London
Cruz.delBarrio@euromonitor.com
Tel: 0044 (0) 207 251 8024 ext 1362
And learn more about Euromonitor’s research here: http://www.euromonitor.com/home-and-garden
