gia 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.

Cooking Up a Dream: Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte

Michelle Hespe catches up with Bianca Bonte, the managing director and founder of Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, and discovers a charmingly rustic, modern cookware store in the Netherlands that pays homage to its surroundings. At the 2014 Global Innovation Awards (gia) held in Chicago in March, Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, a store lovingly run by Bianca Bonte in the city of Oostburg…

Creating the Retail Identity

Martin Pegler, widely considered one of the world’s foremost experts on retail design and display, likes to say that to make a real impact, the retail store should be theater. With the panel of gia (Global Innovation Award) judges, who described the measures all 15 of this year’s retail winners took to accomplish that goal, Pegler said the winners have developed brand…

Innovation Insights: An Interview with Martin M. Pegler, Retail Design International

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs + Services Learn how to develop and launch the right products for the right customer—with the right methods! The four days of the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show will be packed with events as well as educational sessions. To help you plan your time at the Show, we’re giving you a preview of the presentations that will take place in…

2012-2013 gia Winner Contact Information

In 2012-2013, there were 23 gia (Global Innovation Award) winners - representing the very best in housewares and homegoods retailing - from 22 countries on five continents. Contact information for all 23 companies, including key retailers such as Cooking.com, Kookpunt, Matchbox, Coqueluche, Bahne, and ToTT Store can be found on the HECNA Members Only website. Find even more…

gia Global Honorees: New Zealand’s Taylor Road Homewares

By Piritta Törrö, International Marketing & Business Development Michelle Hespe caught up with Anne and John Heng, after their New Zealand-based store, Taylor Road Homewares, became a Global Honoree at the Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago. Organized by the International Housewares Association (IHA) during the International Home + Housewares Show, the awards have…

gia Global Honorees: Italy’s Quality Living

By Piritta Törrö, International Marketing & Business Development Combining housewares and homes doesn’t sound like anything groundbreaking at first. But two Italian men from the world of property development are redefining the essence of home buying and its link to housewares retail. And doing this, they won one of the five gia Global Honoree awards this year. Michelle…

2012-2013 gia GLOBAL HONOREES ANNOUNCED!

CHICAGO (March 3, 2013) – The International Home + Housewares Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the Global Innovation Award (gia) program, today announced the five 2013 gia Global Honorees. The gia Global Honorees are: Linen Chest Canada Quality Living …

Knowing Innovation: Martin M. Pegler, Retail Design International, Professor, Author

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator At the International Home + Housewares Show in March, the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center will present 21 educational programs, every hour beginning Saturday morning and ending Tuesday afternoon. At the Theater, located in Room E350 (near the entry to the Level 3 Lobby), experts in new product development and launch will…

GLOBAL INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS FROM 22 COUNTRIES CELEBRATED AT THE INTERNATIONAL HOME + HOUSEWARES SHOW IN CHICAGO

By Piritta Törrö The International Home + Housewares Show and International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the gia (Global Innovation Award) program, today announced the national gia winners of 2012-2013 – including 23 innovative and unique home and housewares retailers from 22 countries around the globe. Also announced was a very…