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!

Back to Basics: The Essentials of Success

To be innovative and successful in today's complex marketplace, housewares manufacturers need to focus their strategy, listen to the consumer, deliver more value, enable creativity and experience and engage consumers in new ways, IHA's lifestyle trends forecaster Tom Mirabile told attendees at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. “You have to ask yourself: ‘Am I…

PANTONE®VIEW home + interiors 2016 Future Color/Design Trends: Innovation and Impact

In our highly competitive global marketplace, would-be consumers are continuously being wooed by evocative, imaginative and innovative uses of color and design. Staying on top of the latest color trends and forecasts in a highly visual world is vitally important to selling your products or services. Introducing the 2016 Pantone View home + interiors color palettes at the…

Influential Housewares Trends

Changing technologies, product materials, functionality, consumer lifestyles and fashion have all played roles in determining the trends that have left an impression on housewares products. HomeWorld Business took a look to the past for newsworthy housewares trends that have affected product development across a wide spectrum. Of the 25 trends that they had identified, 10 are…

Retail Design Trends of 2015

What are the current and emerging trends in retail design and what should you watch out for to ensure that you are ahead of the game? After all, one thing will never change, to be a top retailer you have to remain top of people’s minds, and that means continually offering a refreshing and exciting retail experience that is unique and arresting. Wolfgang Gruschwitz is a man…

What Shapes the Trends for 2015?

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-five year timeframe and analyze how this will impact the home environment. The Trend Bible seasonal forecasts for the home and interior industry are…

Staying on Trend – Scott Kohno

Scott Kohno, CEO of The Retail Element, has made a living out of analyzing the latest retail trends, deciding which ones can or should be applied to business and how. Michelle Hespe catches up with him to get some insight into the latest trends and how social media and technology are playing an increasingly larger part in staying “on-trend.” THE RETAIL PYRAMID The Retail…

Top Trends for the New Normal

Housewares manufacturers need to adapt, inspire and motivate in order to have success with today’s ever changing consumer, Tom Mirabile said at the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show focusing on top trends. “Whether you’re a retailer, manufacturer or wholesaler, a single word encapsulates today’s most crucial business imperative: Adapt,” he said. “Today’s consumer…

New Harmonies: Changing Themes in Color/Design Trends

2015 Pantone Color Palettes Introducing the 2015 Pantone color palettes at the International Home + Housewares Show, Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, demonstrated the strongest trends in color and styling families – where they are coming from, why they are happening and where they are headed in future. For most consumers today, color and style…

Staying Relevant

Pauline Herbst speaks to IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, Senior Vice President of Global Trend & Design, Lifetime Brands, Inc., about top consumer trends for 2013-2014 and what manufacturers and retailers alike must do to stay relevant. Mirabile says, “The big message is that sometimes we lose perspective on who the consumer really is and what is important…

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