Education

Learn about educational events, informative webinars and special reports, designed and prepared to help members stay up-to- date on current business topics, trends and issues!

Retail Wishlist

(A quick look at what independent retailers want from their vendor partners) Janie Williams runs The Biggest Little Kitchen Store with her two sons, a full time staffer and a couple of part timers. She stocks more than 5,000 skus in her bustling, 2,600 sq. ft. store, and in addition to day-to-day customers, she also orders product for bi-monthly store demonstration…

Have A Library Card? Bake a Cake

Cake pan rentals are becoming the rage at local libraries. Packed up with instructions for baking and decorating, the pans are being offered by libraries nationwide and can be checked out with a basic library card. The Brookline, Mass. Public Library is on the leading edge of this lending trend offering some 50 pans to its members, ranging from Bundt pans to those embossed with…

Stats: Millennials Not Starting Up New Households

Housewares retailers trying to sell to younger shoppers are stymied by the fact that even while the economy has rebounded, Millennials are still living with their parents. And that appears to be a trend that is going to have long-term effects on a number of markets, from retail to real estate. A report from the Pew Research Center shows that despite improvements in the labor…

Trends: Working Moms, Rushed Consumers

As brick-and-mortar retailers, especially smaller ones, try to reach their primary shopper, they are competing for a person with very little time. Or at least that is how she perceives her situation. According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, for full-time working mothers who balance their jobs and obligations ranging from child care to shopping, “feeling…

Trends: Fresh food appeals to younger shoppers

How consumers eat has a direct impact on kitchenware stores, who strive to sell those consumers the tools they need for their cooking adventures. For instance, if shoppers favor easy-cook frozen meals, microwaves top their shopping lists. However, a study by The NPD Group finds that consumers, especially younger consumers, are turning to fresh fruits and vegetables more than…

Retail Profile: Whisk

Retailer: Whisk Location: Cary, N.C. Owner: Dan and Diana Saklad Founded: 2013 Square footage: 4,000 sq. ft. Dan and Diana Saklad put their respective business and retail savvy to good use when they founded Whisk, in the heart of North Carolina’s industry-heavy Research Triangle. Dan, who has a background in brand marketing, and Diana, who grew up in a retail family,…

Stats: Consumers Cutting Sugar

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines make a strong recommendation that consumers limit sugar intake, something Americans have already started doing, according to food consumption research from The NPD Group. Here are some of the findings from that report. According to NPD, U.S. consumers say that sugar is the number one item they try to avoid in their diet and are cutting sugar in…

Always Keep Looking (for The Right Staff)

Labor issues are making headlines nationwide as communities debate the pros and cons of the minimum wage, employee scheduling practices and other workplace concerns. For independent gourmet retailers, who make their living by standing apart from the big box stores, finding and keeping good employees is a key business strategy, and one of the trickiest to get right. At…

Trends: Dieting Gives Way To Healthy Eating

Every January as consumers begin the new year with resolutions for a new body, research shows that when it comes down to actually eating, Americans are less focused on dieting and more focused on adopting a healthier lifestyle. Instead of turning to diet aids and products, consumers are looking for the authenticity and purity of the foods they eat, according to The NPD…