The International Home + Housewares Show and International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, today announced the national gia winners of 2015-2016 – including 25 outstanding home and housewares retailers from 23 countries around the globe. The gia program was created by the IHA and…
CONTINUE READINGgia Retail Awards
The IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) were created with the objective of fostering innovation and excellence in housewares retailing throughout the world. The competition has national and global components. Co-sponsoring the country-specific gia awards programs with IHA are over 25 housewares trade publications, which sponsor national gia programs in their respective countries.
Introducing the 2016 gia Global Honorees
Of the 25 national gia Global Innovation Award winners of 2015-2016, five stores were selected the most innovative, outstanding retailers on the planet. We check out what makes them so unique and outstanding. The top five stores declared gia Global Innovation Honorees in 2016 were: Lakehouse from Canada, Illums Bolighus from Denmark, Kitchen Shop from Malaysia, K’OOK! from…
CONTINUE READINGDown the Aisles: Hudson’s Bay
For most Canadians, Hudson’s Bay Company is a name that has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. The company, which is Canada’s longest continually running department store, was established in 1670. Since that day two and a half centuries ago, it has continued to expand and fine tune its innovative operations, firmly establishing itself as a brand that…
CONTINUE READINGOut of the Ordinary: Koskela
Michelle Hespe meets the innovative owners of Koskela – one of five inspiring retail stores that became 2015 Global Honorees in the prestigious IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago. There’s a great quote by American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker John Rohn that captures the essence of what Australian retail duo Sasha Titchkosky and Russel Koskela set…
CONTINUE READINGPower to the People: John Lewis
Michelle Hespe checks out one of five global honorees from the 2015 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) and discovers the very clever concept behind the United Kingdom’s John Lewis department store chain. Imagine if there was a department store at which the customers made the business decisions? Where the people from the street created and guided the retail philosophy to…
CONTINUE READINGCulinary Crusader: Jumbo
Michelle Hespe catches up with the manager of Jumbo — a Turkish retail chain specializing in kitchenware and cookware that was chosen as one of five Global Honorees at the 2015 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia). Function has always been crucial when it comes to cookware and dinnerware, but today, form and function are more tightly entwined than ever, with products designed to…
CONTINUE READINGParisian Chic: Merci
Michelle Hespe speaks to Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria, Executive Vice President of Merci in Paris. The impressive retail store was one of six Global Honorees at the 2014 gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago, held during the International Home + Housewares Show. Since 2009, fashion, design and food lovers have been drawn to a store that has smoothly forged ahead in an area of…
CONTINUE READINGHomewares Retail, Italian Style: Galleria Fiaba
Michelle Hespe checks out one of Italy’s finest retail stores — Galleria Fiaba — which was one of six Global Honorees at the 2014 gia Global Innovation Awards held in Chicago. The spectacular façade and the name of Galleria Fiaba, which is situated in the historical center of Vittoria, Sicily, reflects the overall store’s approach to retail: to be like a gallery showcasing…
CONTINUE READINGA Milestone Win: Lakeland
Michelle Hespe catches up with Matthew Canwell, Director of Buying for Lakeland in the United Kingdom – one of six 2014 Global Honorees at the gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago. It all began back in 1964, in a humble garage in the United Kingdom. In that garage, a family started selling plastic freezer bags, and the demand for the bags gradually grew. By the 70’s, the…
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