Gourmet Home

IHA Gourmet Home provides independent retailers, suppliers and manufacturers' representatives with tools and information to support the growth of the gourmet trade industry

Stats: Holiday Shopping Predictions

Is the fourth quarter going to bring coal or toys to retailers this year? With an uptick in the economy improving consumer confidence and a 3.2 percent rise in the incomes of middle class Americans, (as reported by the U.S. census bureau in August), signs are good that retailers are on track to get toys in their stockings. Or at least some cash. According to research…

Trends: I-Generation Rocks Black Friday

Of all the shoppers expected to be looking for deals this upcoming holiday season, younger consumers are the most likely to shop in stores on Black Friday. That’s according to a report from Mintel that interviewed 18-22-year-old shoppers (part of the so-called I-Generation of 10-22 years of age) and found that 42 percent are most likely to be in stores on Black Friday, more…

Fermentation Bubbles as Trend

Brooklyn, N.Y. —home to the artisanal pickle set—should also be the hot bed of home fermentation, but retailers in that city are split about whether they see a trend out there. “Unfortunately, it never caught on here,” says Jennifer Baron, owner of A Cook’s Companion on Atlantic Avenue. “Maybe I was too ahead of things, but Brooklyn Kitchen has been very successful. However,…

Retail Profile: Rhubarb Kitchen Shop

“I still feel like the new kid,” says Ellen Kluge as she celebrates her store’s 25th year in business. “But apparently I’m not.” Even though Kluge has been with the store, Rhubarb Kitchen Shop, since she first welcomed customers as its manager in 1992, the excitement she feels running the store and greeting customers has never waned. “I’ve been happy,” she says. She’s…

Stats: Wellspring for Hydration

Consumers are taking their water with them—whether they are hiking, going to the gym or even heading into the office—and products that help with that are selling well. That’s according to a recent study by The NPD Group Inc., which reports that Hydration represents a $345.7 million dollar growth category for the outdoors industry. But kitchenware retailers can ‘tap’ into the…

Selling From the Sidewalk

Just as consumers throw yard sales to rid their homes of unwanted clutter, so retailers throw sidewalk sales to rid their stores of merchandise that, for various reasons, is cluttering up shelves. It is an annual process especially embraced by independent retailers who don’t have to deal with corporate policies regarding pricing and discounting. Which is good, because most…

Retail Profile: Cooks’Wares

It’s a family affair over at Cooks’Wares, in Cincinnati. Founded by Paul Fricke and his wife, Mary, in 1992, and now run by Mary, along with their son Steve and daughter Sharon, the store has been the go-to place for cooking classes in northern Cincinnati since the day it opened 25 years ago. Steve Fricke, the store’s current buyer, says his late dad (Paul Fricke died in…

Stats: Back-to-School All Year Long

Every day is back-to-school shopping day. Almost. Back to school shopping, (which includes household items like kitchenware, tableware and home decor among those college-aged folks) has become hard to pin down, according to a new study from The NPD Group. While U.S. students usually go back to school around Labor Day and traditional back-to-school shopping also had a…

Trends: Here Comes the Registry

As the wedding season peaks for retailers over the summer and fall months, a new survey finds that registries aren’t going out of style: wedding guests continue to choose wedding registries for selecting gifts over other gifting options. According to The Knot’s 2016 Wedding Guest Survey, guests prefer registries, with 37 percent of wedding guests and attendants (bridesmaids…