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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.

Renew the GSP Program and Refund Duties

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program was created to encourage economic development for emerging economies in qualifying countries by reducing tariff burdens on U.S. companies to encourage investment and partnerships in those places. The program has been regularly renewed but lapsed in 2021 and Congress has not been able to reach an agreement on renewal for a…

Carriers Suspending Asia-to-U.S. Services

There are clear indications that the carriers are worried about the strength of the Asia-to-U.S. market. Rates are on a downward trajectory and services are being suspended. These are telltale signs that the demand is not close to rebounding. The carriers have canceled hundreds of sailings since the beginning of July in the Asia-to-U.S. market. However, they have shown…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – October

September 29 – Spooky Season Kicks Off with New Trends Grocers aiming to scare up sales during the Halloween selling season are tapping into trends to meet shopper interests and needs. From: Progressive Grocer September 29 – Kohl’s Hires Former Tuesday Morning Chief Hand To Lead Store Operations Kohl’s announced the appointment of former Tuesday Morning CEO Fred Hand to…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – September

August 31 – Crate & Barrel Investing To Enhance Omnichannel Operations To advance its omnichannel capabilities, Crate & Barrel Holdings has launched “Bring it Home,” a multi-year investment plan centered on the customer experience and designed to pave the way for continued growth across the organization. From: HomePage News August 31 – J.C. Penney Announces $1B…

Peak Season 2023

The Asia to U.S. market finally showed an increase in container shipments during the months of July and August. As a result, finding sufficient space on containerships became a challenge and spot rates increased significantly. Carrier executives were anxiously watching the last two months hoping the increase in volume was the beginning of a rebound that industry experts had…

California’s Prop 65

In 1986, California voters approved Proposition 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Exposure Act), a ballot initiative to address concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. It requires California to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, and for businesses with 10 or more employees to provide warnings when they knowingly and intentionally…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – August

July 31 – Walmart ups stake in Flipkart after buying additional shares from Tiger Global The mass merchant in 2018 became Flipkart’s largest shareholder after paying $16 billion for an initial 77% stake in the company. From: Retail Dive July 31 – Food Lion Unveils Additional Store Renovations in North Carolina Grocer will cut the ribbon on 47 locations throughout…

Business Tax Breaks Scheduled to End

In 2017, the Republican-led Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) using budget reconciliation to avoid a Senate filibuster and its 60-vote threshold. But the tradeoff for this process is that tax breaks benefiting IHA members and other businesses had to be temporary in order to meet budget reconciliation rules. The TCJA boosted the IRC Sec. 168(k) Bonus…

Spot Rates Tick Upward

Carriers have tried for months to increase spot rates on containers shipping from Asia to the U.S. Low consumer demand has rendered those attempts futile until now. Carriers believe spot rates have finally hit bottom. This optimism could stem from the uptick in rates the market experienced in July. For the first time this year, spot rates have accepted a meaningful increase…