Porland of Turkey, one of the five gia Global Honorees this year, has a long, rich and colorful history. We look into what makes this manufacturer and retailer of porcelain stand out from the rest. by Michelle Hespe Porland’s logo features a ballerina executing a perfect pirouette. This elegant symbol conveys both beauty and strength, reflecting the grounding philosophy of this manufacturer and retailer of porcelain. The word…

CHESS 2019 – Retail’s Seismic Shift: Understanding the Forces Changing Housewares Consumers

Presented by: Michael Dart, Partner, Consumer/Retail Practice, A.T. Kearney Retail specialist and visionary, Michael Dart advises retail and consumer companies on how best to navigate retail’s seismic shifts. He combines his economics and finance training from Oxford University and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with more than 25 years of experience consulting with A.T. Kearney and Bain & Co. to provide a unique…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

April 14 – JD.com Creates Offline Catering Supply Chain SolutionJD.com with Juqi, a dinning chain in Beijing, announced a supply chain cooperation, positioning JD.com as the first platform in China capable of providing a one-stop supply chain solution covering both the full category of food and materials supply, and integrated warehousing and distribution services. Through the cooperation, JD will also provide intelligent inventory…

Navigating The Wild West of Ocean Shipping

by Dave Akers, IHSA "Good Judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." — Will Rogers Here is how the modern shipping business mirrors the Wild West: 1. The “Gold Rush” Boom and Bust Cycles The Old West was defined by the gold rush with sudden, explosive wealth that created overnight millionaires, followed by devastating busts that left ghost towns behind. Shipping operates on the exact same…

IHA Plans Sourcing Mission to Vietnam

To help members investigate alternatives to sourcing from China, the International Housewares Association will hold a sourcing mission to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, next year. The 2020 Vietnam Sourcing Mission will be offered in two sessions: April 20-22 or April 23-25. Each session is limited to just six companies to provide a high level of service and allow for private meetings and factory tours. The dates were chosen to allow…

Guide to Effective Retail Store Design

by Martin M. Pegler If RETAILING is your chosen path of livelihood, here are some simple guidelines you might like to consider when planning your retail store. 1. Let There Be Light! Without the proper light the merchandise cannot be seen or judged, colors cannot be appreciated, coordinates cannot be assembled, nor buying decisions made. Let your light be the best you can afford to install and use—or, if necessary, skimp on…

Inspiration Magazine: Trends

Useful tips and resources prepared by business, industry and design experts to help retailers grow their businesses!

PANTONE®VIEW home + interiors 2018 Communicating with Color/Design: Inspiring and Defining Essential Trends

by Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Pantone Color Institute Key color stories for 2018 break free from traditional thinking. Colors are revitalized, hues are mixed in novel combinations and new color directions instantly and effectively express a fresh approach that satisfies the consumers continuing need for newness. Metallics we know are classic, but they have…

Smart Home: Keeping Connected

Michelle Hespe meets Carley Knobloch (or Carley K, like her blog is called), a digital lifestyle expert, to chat about the Internet of Things and the smart home. As a retailer, you need to embrace this new wave of technology or risk falling behind your competitors. A couple of years ago, most people hadn’t heard of Internet of Things (IoT) or the smart home. Even 12 months ago…

Rebellious Energy SS18

Looking ahead to 2018, there are several shifts in consumer mood that are driving trends in design for the home. One major influence in housewares trends, is a growing consumer desire to seek out newness and do things differently. This rebellious attitude is influencing a much bolder and futuristic aesthetic within the home, particularly for the Spring Summer…

On Trend

The four gia expert jurors — Martin M. Pegler, Wolfgang Gruschwitz, Scott Kohno and Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen — are from different sectors of retail, including store design and architecture, branding, visual merchandising and displays, marketing and technology. They always need to be at the forefront of trends driving the retail world, so who better to present the latest…

Take a Bite of 2016: A Savory, Sustainable Palette

Food-driven consumers are keeping excitement growing for chefs as well as for those who find themselves in a position to continue to educate but now have a decade of food-inspired consumers who are craving not only great recipes but also inspirational ingredients as new food trends emerge. “With what's going on in the world, it's very interesting to see that food is trending…

What’s Influencing Design and Technology for the Home in 2017?

In this article, we take an exclusive look at one of four trends forecast for Spring-Summer 2017. Recently revealed at the International Home + Housewares Show during our Home and Interior Design Trends 2017 presentation, we share Activate. Activate takes influence from the rise of smart technology assisting our everyday routines. This trend highlights how these changes in…

The New Rules of Engagement

Get Connected, Stay Fresh, Make It Personal It’s never been more important to view consumers in three dimensions, Tom Mirabile told an audience equipped with 3D glasses at the 2016 International Home + Housewares Show. “Today’s housewares consumers are multi-faceted, and embracing change is crucial,” said Mirabile, who is IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster and the senior vice…

PANTONE®VIEW home + interiors 2017

Color/Design at a Crossroads: Finding the Most Directional Trends With the consumer's constant desire to see something new continuing to influence color/design trends, the question becomes what path will best drive success and consumer or client satisfaction? As color choices are so closely tied to personal expression, the answer is in developing the ability to better assess…

Calming Trends for Fall/Winter 2016

Trend Bible is a home and interiors-dedicated forecasting agency working with leading international brands to help them understand the future of their market. They forecast future trends in the behavior of consumers in a two-to-five year timeframe and analyze how this will impact the home environment. What will be influencing design for the home in Fall/Winter…

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