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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

Supply Chain and Tariff Developments

To address the ocean carrier supply chain crisis and high cost of shipping containers, IHA is part of a broad coalition of business groups working to pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA), which is a “Shippers Bill of Rights” to give importers and exporters much greater legal standing and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) more tools to deal with unreasonable ocean…

West Coast Port Strike Would be Devastating

Could congestion that plagued West Coast ports in 2021 actually get worse in 2022? That all depends on whether a new contract can be finalized between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). The current contract between the two entities expires on June 30, 2022. If a new contract is not reached, the congestion shippers…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – February

February 28 – Lowe’s Launches DIY Skill-Building Program Inspired by the digital instructor community boom and rise in immersive at-home learning, DIY-U by Lowe’s is a one-stop virtual location for how-to products workshops. From: HomePage News February 28 – Walmart Adding Exclusive Deals for “Plus” Members Walmart is offering special discounts to consumers joining its…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – January

January 31 – Walmart Enhances Interactivity in New Store Design With an emphasis on interactivity, Walmart has unveiled a new merchandising format dubbed Time Well Spent meant to keep the company’s customers shopping longer. From: HomePage News January 31 – Washington AG Hits Amazon on Price Fixing Washington State’s attorney general’s office has announced that, as a…

Will 2022 be a Repeat of 2021?

Shippers importing containers from Asia to the US have been faced with record high rate levels and severe congestion leading to supply chain disruptions for the last 18 months. Back in September, industry experts predicted the market would soften after Chinese New Year 2022. Unfortunately, those predictions are not coming true. It now appears evident that the first two…

ADA Website Lawsuits Continue

When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, the focus of Title III in the law was, and still is, providing accessibility for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations and commercial facilities. Framers saw Title III’s language exclusively in terms of “brick and mortar” and the internet wasn’t contemplated then. …

Two IHA-Backed Bipartisan Bills Moving Through Congress

On Dec. 8, 2021, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 or OSRA 21 (H.R. 4996) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on a strongly bipartisan vote of 364 - 60. The bill had 96 cosponsors consisting of 48 Democrats and 48 Republicans by the time of the vote and it was also encouraging that the National Association of Manufacturers declared its support for the bill…

Supply Chain Concerns Will Dominate 2022

Shippers were hoping 2022 would bring some much needed relief to the U.S. supply chain. Unfortunately, early economic indicators are showing the current supply chain difficulties will last well into 2022. Some industry analysts are predicting that 2022 could actually be worse than 2021 for some importers. Record consumer demand in the Asia to U.S. market continues to be the…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – December

December 29 – Hy-Vee Boosts Posts New Retail Security Team Members in Stores Officers will serve as resource to shoppers and employees in various Midwest markets. From: Progressive Grocer December 28 – Piggly Wigley Midwest Expands in Wisconsin The Wisconsin-based grocer finalized an agreement to transition Burreson’s Foods to a Piggly Wigley Midwest franchisee. From:…