Local retailers seek local products. That’s the theme across the nation as specialty retailers, many of whom also find they benefit from customers looking to shop at local businesses, try to return the favor with nearby producers. “We always focus on finding local products,” says Dan Saklad, owner of, along with wife Diana, Whisk in Cary, N.C. “We are local, so we do…
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The Emotional Retail Game
by Michelle Hespe There are many convoluted dimensions when it comes to creating a special retail experience, and while Wolfgang Gruschwitz believes that the emotional dimension is the key to enticing a consumer into purchasing products, today it’s also about understanding a customer’s lifestyle choices in order to create a strong story for your brand, and a #PerfectStore.…
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Emotive Retailing
Retail is not just about selling things—it’s about emotionally engaging potential customers, bringing them into your story and helping to make their dreams come true, explains retail expert and gia judge, Wolfgang Gruschwitz. The point of sale is, of course, the aim of a retailer. However, just as the journey is often more important and fulfilling than the destination, the…
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Making a Mark: Create & Captivate on Social Media
Michelle Hespe speaks to Melissa Maker about growing your brand’s presence through five easy ‘social’ steps that you can take right now. As a retailer, you know that brand is everything. If you don’t have a great brand story, potential customers won’t stop, listen and look at what you are offering, and the sales won’t happen. It’s that simple. So how can you be heard…
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Bound to Inspire
Seven years after launching popular housewares brand, StoreBound, the company’s forward-thinking CEO, Evan Dash chats with Michelle Hespe. Evan Dash meets me at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago with a big smile and the firm, friendly handshake he is known for. It’s been a decade since he left Macy’s, where he was the Senior VP for Home, and it’s been seven…
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Change & Challenge in the Economy of Expectations
Tom Mirabile, the IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster and the senior vice president, Global Trend and Design, at Lifetime Brands, Inc., was joined at his annual International Home + Housewares Show keynote presentation by Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business and Gourmet Insider, and Susan Yashinsky, vice president of innovation trends at Sphere Trending. The…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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