Global Opportunities

Benefit from IHA’s International Business Council, which offers opportunities, education and insight to help members succeed in the global marketplace!

Global Retail News: Costco, Sainsbury, Walmart, Auchan, Carrefour

Costco hits the spot in Seville Last month, US-based Costco opened its first unit on continental Europe in Seville, Spain. The warehouse club retailer has proven sufficiently adventurous to venture into the country at a time when Spain is experiencing the nascent twitches of recovery following six years of the worst economic crisis in decades. Source: Planet…

CE Mark Workshop for Illinois Companies

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC) is pleased to partner with the Center for International Regulatory Assistance (CITRA) at Duquesne University to present a day-long workshop at ICNC. Facilitated by CITRA experts and the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at ICNC, the workshop will cover information on the…

Surviving Tourist Season Travel

Chris McGinnis, Editor of TravelSkills.com comments on how to manage business travel in the thick of tourist season travel in this CNN Video. http://travelskills.com/2014/05/21/surviving-tourist-season-airport-chris-cnn/ Source: TravelSkills.com…

European Retail: Schwarz Group – Implications with Carrefour & Tesco

In the UK, the Guardian is quoting a new Planet Retail report as saying "the company behind the Lidl supermarket chain is set to become western Europe's biggest grocery retailer by 2018 as discounters become mainstream across the continent.": According to the story, the report predicts "that the privately owned Schwarz Group, which is controlled by a German multibillionaire…

CIT – Growth Financing Opportunities for Housewares Companies

With globalization, most companies now compete on an international basis. As brands gain acceptance, companies seek to grow their revenues by pursuing growth on two fronts – domestically and globally. The International Housewares Association has had several forums about international sales in the housewares industry. The need to ship to customers on open credit terms has…

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Market Overview – Brazil, Paulo Kruglensky, Etna

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Wednesday, June 18, 2014 Paulo Krugelsky, CEO of Etna, outlined the Brazilian retailer’s position in its market region. Based in Sao Paulo, Etna has grown rapidly in ten years and now operates 18 outlets in the major cities of 12 Brazilian states. Brazil’s long-term fundamentals are strong and its political and economic…

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Eva Krejčová, UTC, Czech Republic

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Wednesday, June 18, 2014 Eva Krejčová has worked in the trade business since 1991, after she completed her study of economics at Russia’s St. Petersburg State University.As import/export manager at UTC, Ms. Krejčová procures products locally and sells products into the Central and Eastern European region. UTC is the…

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Alexander Gorun, CHEF Ltd., Russia

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Wednesday, June 18, 2014 Moscow-based Alexander Gorun studied international relations in Kharkov, Ukraine at the International Slavic University. In 2004 he receivedhis master’s degree in management from the Moscow Aviation Institute where he then joined its faculty to teach economics and management. Before heading sales for…

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Mark Zhang, DUHUB International, China

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Wednesday, June 18, 2014 After an exciting first day of sessions and yesterday’s deep dive into the customer-centered marketing approach presented by Jonathan Knowles,Day 2 of the IBC Global Forum offers five country market overviews from retailers in China, Russia, Brazil, Czech Republic and Australia. Mark Zhang,…