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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.

IBC Members Meet with ACE Hardware International

On December 1, IHA’s International Business Council (IBC) hosted ACE Hardware International at an IBC Members-Only meeting in Chicago at the IHA office. With several IBC members in attendance, the retailer-owned cooperative explained how their Global team selects products and determines assortments offered to their member-retail stores outside of the U.S.A. Following the…

Stats: Caffeine Habit Begins Early

Coffee consumption in the United States continues to rise, especially among millennials. And the caffeine habit is starting up at a younger age. Folks between the ages of 18 and 24, have caffeinated the demand for, well, caffeine. And that is having an impact on the world coffee market. According to a report from The Bloomberg Commodity Index, coffee prices have the…

South Korea Market Visit

IHA Staff recently made a market visit to South Korea in preparation for a potential trade mission to that country in 2018. The visit included touring major retail outlets/malls, meeting with key distributors to better understand the market, and meeting with relevant key retailers. Distributors met with included Venta Korea Co., Ltd., household appliance distributor for…

The Langham, Chicago – Number One Hotel on Trip Advisor

Book now and enjoy these additional incentives: - Book early and enjoy a special low rate of $285 per night (Offer expires December 31st) - Complimentary WiFi/Wired internet in guest rooms - Complimentary access to Chuan Spa & Health Club Book Your Discounted Room at The Langham Chicago As an International Home + Housewares Show attendee, experience…

Healthy Eating Heats Up

Americans are always talking (but not acting) about eating better, but signs from small retailers indicate that more and more people are taking healthy eating to heart by stocking up on kitchen tools that make it easier to cook a bit lighter. By far the hottest product, retailers say, are the plethora of spiralizers: tools that shred such veggies as zucchini into pasta-like…

Webinars Assist Exhibitors With Marketing & Boothmanship

To help exhibitors make the most of their trade show investment, the International Housewares Association is presenting a series of educational webinars focusing on marketing services, booth design and etiquette advice for the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show. In “Bring More Buyers and Media to Your Booth in 2017,” IHA staff walks through the Exhibitor Marketing…

Protecting your Brand in Cuba in Uncertain Times

Prior to Fidel Castro coming to power, the following three statements pertained to Cuba: - Its workers had the 8th highest wages in the world - More Americans lived in Cuba than Cubans lived in America - Its per-capita income was higher than those of Austria and Japan Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba were then severed for the 53 years between 1961…

December Currency Outlook

In their December 2016 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief US Dollar gains broadly as markets continue to price-in interest rate hike Japanese Yen has worst month since 2009 on policy divergence and inflation prospects in U.S. In Focus…

Global Retail Intelligence – December 2016

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: December 1 - When it comes to shopping, Canadians just aren’t clicking as only 2% of sales are made online While bricks and mortar retailers remain justifiably panicked about losing sales to digital-only ecommerce players like Amazon, it still comes as a surprise to learn that online sales account for just…