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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.

Global Retail Intelligence –October

October 13 – Aldi UK Doubles Size of Deliveroo Trial|Aldi UK has planned to double the size of its trial of grocery delivery with the Deliveroo network, extending the trial to 40 total stores, bringing the trial service area to additional cities in England. From Aldi October 12 – Flipcart, Walmart Invest in NinjacartIndia-based ecommerce marketplace, Flipkart and parent…

Key Market Update: Canada

Brigitte Roy, president, DANESCO Canadian Market Demographics Brigitte Roy, president of the Canadian distributor Danesco, began her presentation on the Canadian market by outlining key differences between U.S. and Canadian culture. Canada is composed of 10 provinces and three territories. The metric system is used for measurements. It is a bilingual country—both…

Market Opportunities: Top Five Trends in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, India

IHA Offices and Representatives IHA brought insights from around the world to Global Forum attendees with short presentations by its offices in varied regions. At the close of the final presentation, all joined in a group discussion to respond audience questions. Tom Johnston & Lourdes Ramirez – IHA Office for Mexico, Central America, Caribbean In-store department…

Key Market Update: Costa Rica and Central America

Vanessa Sadi, general manager, La Cocina Ideal Market Review Speaking from San Jose, Costa Rica, Vanessa Sadi, general manager of housewares distributor La Cocina Ideal, summarized market demographics in Costa Rica, a Central American country with more than five million residents. Minimum wages begin at US$450/month, with middle class incomes starting at US$750. Because…

Key Retailer Update

Shifting Consumer Behavior and Trends in Housewares Categories and Ecommerce in India Santanu Debroy, senior manager, BD and AM, Other Hardlines, Amazon India Marketplace and Sidram Kaudaki, international brand partnerships /business development manager, International Sourcing, Amazon India Marketplace Speaking from Bangalore, Santaru Debroy and Sidram Kaudaki addressed…

Key Retailer Update: Canadian Tire Corporation

Douglas Young, vice president, Merchandising—Living Division, Canadian Tire Retail Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), founded in 1922, has grown to more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets with tens of thousands of employees across Canada. CTC aims to grow its business to provide Canadians with everything they need for life. Recent acquisitions include the 2018 purchase of…

Market Opportunities in Taiwan and Australia

IHA Offices and Representatives IHA brought insights from around the world to Global Forum attendees with short presentations by its offices in varied regions to close the day’s programming. Top Five Trends Monica Lee, IHA Representative – Taiwan “Glamping” is the newest vacation trend in Taiwan. With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting international travel, families…

Federal Maritime Commission Addresses Eastbound Transpacific Market

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has finally weighed in on the eastbound transpacific market. Shippers have been complaining for months that carriers have been routinely canceling sailings so demand will outweigh supply which ultimately drives up freight rates. The cost to ship a container from China to the port of Los Angeles in May was $1700. To ship that same container…

“COVID 4” Relief Bill Still in the Works

Over the past few months, a “COVID 4” relief bill has been inching towards a compromise between the U.S. House and Senate, with the difference in cost coming down to about $1 trillion. To recap, House Democrats passed their COVID 4 bill, the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act (H.R. 6800), on May 15, but it wasn’t taken up by Senate Republicans who were concerned about the bill’s…