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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.

2020 IBC Global Forum: Speakers Announced!

The IBC 2020 Global Forum will be presented in a live-streamed webinar format this year. Attendees can anticipate learning from key industry buyers and IHA’s Global Offices and Representatives. Please save the dates of September 22 – 24 for a twice daily livestream, featuring confirmed speakers from Sodimac (Latin America), Indòmit (Spain & Portugal), EPA (Costa Rica),…

Global Retail Intelligence – February

February 26 – Amazon Enters Food Delivery Market in IndiaIn the wake of Uber’s attempt at food delivery in India, after falling to the competition of two local competitors, Swiggy and Zomato, Amazon is on the brink of launching its food delivery service in India. The launch is delayed from the original plan of launching by Diwali. The initial launch will be in Bangalore…

Combatting Counterfeit and Pirated Goods

On July 24, 2019, IHA President Derek Miller submitted comments to a U.S. Dept. of Commerce notice seeking input on how to curb the importation and sale of counterfeit products. IHA’s comments noted that legitimate businesses like those belonging to IHA are victims of counterfeit goods that are sold by bad actors and often directly compete with goods produced by IHA…

Carriers Monitoring the Coronavirus

The carriers are monitoring the impact the coronavirus could have on containers moving from China to the US. They have refrained from cancelling sailings so far, but the situation is very fluid. To help contain the coronavirus, the Chinese government extended the Chinese New Year holiday for most of the country by 3 days. Factories located in areas hardest hit by the…

Trade, Tariff and Postal Shifts

On Jan. 15, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed the Phase One trade agreement between the U.S. and China consisting of seven chapters on intellectual property rights, technology transfer, food and agricultural products, financial services, exchange rate matters and transparency, expanding trade, and bilateral evaluation and dispute resolution procedures. The…

Global Retail Intelligence – January

January 22 – Kaufland to Exit AustraliaSchwarz Group’s Kaufland, with about current 200 employees in Australia and a plan to open 14 stores in Victoria and land purchased in other sites has decided to pull out of the country, indicating that it will continue to focus on core markets in Europe. From Yahoo Finance January 22 – Amazon Australia Launches New Delivery…

Trade and Tariff Developments for 2020

Significant progress has been made with regard to the issue of tariffs in the trade dispute between the United States and China. The USTR announced on Dec. 13, 2019, the completion of a Phase One trade agreement with China. U.S. tariffs on List-4B products that were subject to 15% duties set to commence on Dec. 15, 2019, were cancelled, and tariffs on List 4A products…

Global Retail Intelligence – December

December 13 – Costco Plans Additional Openings in ChinaAfter the success of the August opening of a Costco outlet in Shanghai, the retailer plans another store in China in 2021. More than 240,000 membership have been sold since the August 2019 opening of the Shanghai outlet. From Nikkei Asian Review December 13 – Amazon Opens New Distribution Center in PolandAmazon…

Efforts to Correct the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Problem Spark Further Changes

In a recent article posted on the Bloomberg website, IHA member Mighty Mug was singled out for successfully drawing the President’s attention to a vast disparity in shipping rates between U.S. and Chinese companies. The efforts to correct the United Postal Union (UPU) problem are possibly leading to other changes in US foreign policy and specifically with the U.S.’s…