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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

U.S. Retail Intelligence – January

December 29 – Holiday Spending Up 3% Over Last Year Retail holiday spending during the 2023 holiday season rose just over 3% year over year, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse. From: Hardware Retailing December 27 – Container Store Names Chief Digital Officer; Senior VP of Stores The Container Store has made two additions to its executive leadership team.…

IHA Government Affairs Achievements

IHA has had a number of government affairs achievements in the last four years with some of the more notable victories discussed below. New UPU Agreement: The housewares industry realized a victory when the Universal Postal Union (UPU) agreed to revise international postal rates to stop discriminating against U.S. shippers. Founded in 1875, the UPU sets postal rates among…

Red Sea Attacks Continue

Carriers are facing many uncertainties as we enter 2024. Unstable freight rates caused by vessel overcapacity will be a major topic during the upcoming contract negotiation period. Experts are predicting a four-month window for most Asia to U.S. contract negotiations to be finalized starting January 1 and ending April 30. Unfortunately for the carriers, they don’t have a…

Carrier Optimism Wanes

As 2023 draws to an end, there is a lot of uncertainty on whether the 2024 Asia-to-U.S. market will be profitable or disastrous for the carriers. Unfortunately for the carriers, early warning signs indicate that the latter will prevail. The biggest issue carriers face is overcapacity. Until that issue is resolved, the carriers will continue to burn through cash. The carriers…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – December

November 30 – Get Ready for More ALDI Stores in December According to the company, its disciplined approach to operating with simplicity and efficiency is able to provide customers with the products they want at the lowest possible prices. From: Progressive Grocers November 30 – Kroger Q3 Beats Wall Street Despite Consumer Spending Reluctance Despite tighter consumer…

ADA Website Lawsuit Developments

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990 and its primary focus is Title III, which concerns accessibility for those with disabilities in public accommodations and commercial “brick and mortar” facilities. But the ensuing arrival of the internet and its new platform for selling products was seized upon by trial lawyers as a “target rich environment” for ADA…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – November

October 30 – Tractor Supply Q3 Earnings Beat Street As Sales Lag Despite lower revenue than expected, Tractor Supply beat a Wall Street earnings estimate in the third quarter. From: HomePage News October 30 – Kroger-Albertsons Proposed Mega-Merger Is a Threat to Workers and Shoppers Alike Union rep weighs in on implications of pending high-profile deal. From:…

New Workforce Regulations for Employers

Three workforce regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could have a big impact on IHA members and employers across the country. All of them are controversial and could be challenged in court by business organizations. On Oct. 27, the NLRB published a final rule addressing the Standard for…

Cargo Shifting Back to West Coast Ports

Over the last few years, shippers have been slowly but steadily shifting imports away from West Coast ports to East Coast ports. There are now indicators showing that the pendulum is shifting and shippers are beginning to return to West Coast ports. There were plenty of reasons for shippers to make the shift away from West Coast ports. For starters, the lack of a contract…