CHESS Conference

Attend the annual CHESS conference to network with senior housewares executives and to learn from dynamic professionals presenting on topics relevant to the growth of the housewares industry.

It Starts With the Customer: How Amazon is Responding to Changes in Customer Behavior

Shopping behaviors and expectations continue to evolve. Amazon has made a variety of changes to the customer experience in response. Mike Popchuk will talk about Amazon’s approach to addressing customer needs and highlight a few of the changes they have made in response. 1:15 pm Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Presenter: Mike Popchuk Director / Category Leader Home,…

CHESS 2018 Focuses on Adapting in the Face of Change

The U.S. economy is doing well but traditional retail is challenged against the dramatic changes brought on by the ever-growing options consumers have for purchasing products. Driving this change is the world of e-commerce, which has expanded from what is now considered traditional digital retailing, such as Amazon, Wayfair and brick & mortar retailer websites, to…

Practical Solutions to MAP and Antitrust Pricing Challenges

As IHA members look for solutions to MAP pricing issues, they must be mindful of the U.S. antitrust laws in the sale and resale of products, both online and at brick-and-mortar stores. A paper, based on a live presentation at the 2017 CHESS Conference, explores five antitrust challenges: illegal price agreements, minimum advertised price (“MAP”) policies, non-price…

CHESS 2017 Recap: Antitrust Pricing Challenges

Attorney Wendelynne Newton, of the Pittsburgh-based firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC is no stranger to CHESS audiences. She has spoken to IHA groups in the past and delivers complex information in a straightforward manner. She set the stage for her remarks by stating that the rapidly changing marketplace is hazardous: the retail sector is not for the faint of heart. The…

CHESS 2017 Recap: Future Shift & Transformation 2017-2037

David Houle, Futurist, David Houle & Associates, opened the second day of the conference with a mind-expanding presentation that reframed information presented on the first day and gave the audience a new perspective for sessions to follow. Author, lecturer and educator David Houle has spoken to 3500 groups of business leaders and last addressed CHESS in 2015. He began…

CHESS 2017 Recap: The Tax & Budget World Under Trump

With more than three decades of experience in Washington—as high-level Congressional staff and advisor, attorney, and as a consultant to corporations and associations on legislative and tax policy issues, Kenneth J. Kies, Managing Director, The Federal Policy Group, offered his insights on the current political environment. Speaking just ahead of the lunch break, Kies presented…

CHESS 2017 Recap: The Evolution of E-Commerce

How to Win in E-Commerce: Key Considerations for Manufacturers as Consumers Shift Spending Online... Niraj Shah CEO, Co-Chairman and co-founder, Wayfair... Niraj Shah addressed trends in e-commerce, Wayfair’s history and online opportunities for housewares products. He explained some pain points in ecommerce and outlined Wayfair’s solutions. Spending has moved online…

CHESS 2017 Recap: Disruption in Retail

CHESS favorites Dana Telsey, CEO and Chief Research Officer, Telsey Advisory Group, and Joe Feldman, Senior Managing Director and Assistant Director of Research, Telsey Advisory Group, presented their annual analysis of the current retail landscape. Founded in 2006, the Telsey Advisory Group (TAG) a leading equity research, sales and trading, consulting, and investment banking…

CHESS 2017 Recap: Generational Family Feud

Moderators: Warren Shoulberg, Publisher/Editorial Director, Home & Textiles Today, Editorial Director, HFN and Gifts & Decorative Accessories... Maureen Azzato, Publisher/Editorial Director, HFN... Taking a cue from a popular TV show, Warren Shoulberg and Maureen Azzato created a fun and interactive presentation to highlight some differences and similarities…