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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.

Chatting with Magisso

We are speaking with Juhani Sirén, Magisso’s CEO and founder. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland’s capital, Magisso was established in 2008 and began exhibiting at the International Home + Housewares Show the following year. Simple and smart, Magisso’s home goods products reflect the attitude and atmosphere expected of Scandinavian design. Their hand tools and kitchenware…

Down the Aisles: Hudson’s Bay

For most Canadians, Hudson’s Bay Company is a name that has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. The company, which is Canada’s longest continually running department store, was established in 1670. Since that day two and a half centuries ago, it has continued to expand and fine tune its innovative operations, firmly establishing itself as a brand that…

Find Your Style

Selecting a color palette and design for decorating can be difficult when finding a style that reflects your life. Consumers are bombarded with different ideas, so it can be hard to settle down to find one’s own style. Here are several simple suggestions you can share with your customers to get them started on their own design style and color palette. Use these tips to…

Chicago Retail Gem

In a character-filled, old, sunny warehouse in Lincoln Park on the north side of Chicago, there’s a business that is edgy, worldly, and well… positively chic. “ Jayson Home has a warm, sensual, textured feel,” says Creative Director Caroline Scheeler. “It's the kind of store that friends meet up at, and hang out, while they’re shopping. While our store, our brand, is ever…

Keep Cool with Zoku Treatmakers

What does summertime mean to you? Barbeques, corn on the cob and …. cold treats? When you’re chillin’ in the backyard or on the porch—Zoku treatmakers make every occasion a celebration. Zoku’s first product, which started with a seemingly simple idea What if we could make popsicles freeze faster?, propelled the company into the housewares market in 2009. The patented Zoku…

A PICTURE WORTH A FEW HUNDRED WORDS: Ladders & Step Ladders

Ladders in retail displays... Step right up! That is what ladders are for. Not only do they make it possible for you to access something that may be out of reach, they also allow you to go from one level to the next with assurance of new views at each level. Think about it for a moment! How many different types of ladders do you already have in your store? You may have the…

CHESS 2015 Examines Innovative Strategies for Reaching the Consumer

From launching a product via crowd-funding to partnering with Amazon, the innovative strategies available to help housewares suppliers reach their target market will be explored during the 2015 Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession (CHESS), Oct. 6-7 in Rosemont, Ill. Addressing the theme of “Concept to Consumer: Innovative Strategies for Reaching Your Market,” the program’s…

International Home + Housewares Show Featured on “The Big Pitch”

Several exhibitors from the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show are being featured on “The Big Pitch,” a new TV program from Kevin Harrington of “Shark Tank” fame. Harrington and his crew filmed product pitches from 25 exhibitors during the Home + Housewares Show last March in Chicago and then selected 11 that were the best-of-the-best, according to “Big Pitch”…

Out of the Ordinary: Koskela

Michelle Hespe meets the innovative owners of Koskela – one of five inspiring retail stores that became 2015 Global Honorees in the prestigious IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago. There’s a great quote by American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker John Rohn that captures the essence of what Australian retail duo Sasha Titchkosky and Russel Koskela set…