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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.

Put a Smile in Your Display

by Martin M. Pegler What is a smile? Is it the enigmatic look on the face of the Mona Lisa that is called the Da Vinci smile? OR, is it that sudden expression of relief or pleasure or satisfaction that turns a dark, frowning visage into a sunny, glowing face that exudes a sense of hope?? There have been hundreds of songs written about SMILES, from the sad but lovely one by…

Another Carrier Merger

The steamship industry was riddled with carrier consolidation during 2015 and 2016. A total of eight carriers were either acquired or merged with other carriers. Shippers were hoping that 2017 would bring some stability to their supply chains. The stability lasted only six months. On July 9, 2017, COSCO Shipping Holdings announced that they were making a bid to acquire Orient…

Complimentary Education & Learning Opportunities with IHA

IHA Offers frequent webinars to keep you informed of the latest industry developments and educated on best business practices. Take part in an upcoming webinar starting in September or watch a previous recorded webinar on a wide variety of topics. Shifting the Paradigm: One-Size-Does-NOT-fit-all for Shared Warehousing 12:00 pm CDT September 13 Housewares firms…

gia – Celebration of Retail Excellence and Innovation

Every March in Chicago, the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) are hosted by the International Housewares Association. The gia awards, “the Oscars® of the housewares industry”, bring together the world’s most innovative retailers, all having been voted as the best in their country. The IHA Global Innovation Awards program was created to celebrate excellence and innovation in…

Stats: How Housewares Fare in Home Trends

You know what is selling in your store, but do you know how home products are faring overall? Those smart folks at The NPD Group tallied up their data for last year and the results give a snapshot of the U.S. housewares economy. Here’s a look at what happened around the home in 2016. In the kitchen: Coffee/espresso is the biggest kitchen appliance category with…

Sweetly Connected

by Michelle Hespe We catch up with Paul Lowe, otherwise known as “Sweet Paul” to talk about how he injects emotion into his website, magazine, blog and online retail business. Many people have the dream of doing what they love as a living, but Paul Lowe – aka Sweet Paul – literally takes the cake. Sweet Paul has made a living off the things he loves — cooking, baking…

Trends: Brick and Mortar Stands Up to Online

While a vast majority of Americans are now online shoppers, a new survey finds that those same customers also seek out brick-and-mortar stores. According to the survey from the Pew Research Center, some 8-in-10 Americans shop online, compared to a similar study done in June 2000 when just 22 percent of Americans had made a purchase online. Still, the study found that…

Reinventing Retail in the Era of Connected Devices

When it comes to selling connected devices, retailers have a tough job. Smart products are often complex, can require more up-front education and suffer from higher return rates than their more traditional brethren. As a result, efforts by some retailers to expand into the consumer Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home ended in disappointment. Office retailer Staples, who…

Brothers in Design

by Michelle Hespe Michelle Hespe speaks to Richard Joseph, one of the brothers behind the Joseph Joseph brand, which beautifully fuses form, functionality and fun. In 2003, twin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph launched their now hugely popular design brand, Joseph Joseph. Today, they have 125 employees and offices in the U.K., U.S., Japan, France and Germany. Both…