Beth Dempsey, Author at International Housewares Association

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…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – July

June 29 – Best Buy Updates Membership Program in Time for July Deals As the company prepares for its July supply events, Best Buy is rolling out its updated membership program, now in three three tiers designed for customers who want convenience, value and access, as well as protection and support. From: HomePage News June 29 – 2023 Private Label Hall of Fame: Kristin…

Trade Issues Update

On June 2, Americans for Free Trade (AFT) sent a letter to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) signed by IHA and 145 other organizations for the May 17 hearing Leveling the Playing Field: How to Counter the Chinese Communist Party’s Economic Aggression. Despite the enmity between Capitol Hill Republicans and Democrats, the Select Committee on the…

Controversial New Process for Regulations

On April 6, President Biden issued the Executive Order (EO) “Modernizing Regulatory Review” that will change the process by which federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Departments of Transportation and Labor promulgate their regulations. The White House says these changes will improve the process, but administrative law experts believe the new…