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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.

Covid-Related Business Tools – CARES Act

Employee Retention Credit (Section 2301 of the Act): Refundable payroll tax credit equal to 50% of up to $10,000 in wages per employee, including health benefits, if employer operations were fully/partially suspended due to a COVID-19 governmental shutdown, or if gross receipts declined more than 50% in a quarter compared to the same quarter in 2019. Credit applies…

Global Retail Intelligence – May

May 18 – Indian Retailers See Spike as Pandemic Easing BeginsRetailers in India, including Metro Cash & Carry, Lots Wholesale Solutions, Future Group and V-Mart Retail have seen a spike in purchases of fast moving consumer goods and high-value items as measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been eased and more stores are open to customer walk-ins. Retailers have…

Sourcing Shift from China Continues

The prolonged trade war between the US and China plus the emergence of COVID-19 have changed how importers should evaluate risk when finalizing their sourcing options. Importers that rely 100% on China for sourcing are more at risk than importers that have multiple sourcing options. Many US importers have already learned a lesson from relying too heavily on China for their…

Update to Special Reports on Coronavirus Assistance: Federal Legislation and Administrative Actions as of April 24, 2020

This special report is to update previous editions with information on the latest congressional legislation (“COVID 3.5”) and details concerning earlier bills and administrative actions. Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, H.R. 266, or (“COVID 3.5”): On April 24, the President signed H.R. 266 to appropriate some $484 billion in additional federal…

Administration Defers Duties on Certain Tariffs

On April 19, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order based on National Emergency authority declared March 13 to give the Treasury Secretary the ability to defer payments of certain import duties, taxes and fees for 90 days. This was followed by a Temporary Final Rule published April 20 by the DHS Customs and Border Patrol that states the 90-day deferral doesn’t…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

April 15 – UK’s Morrisons Launches Telesales to Help Elderly and VulnerableMorrisons announced a new, dedicated telesales shopping service aimed specifically at helping to ensure vulnerable and elderly people can get the groceries they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. This one of a number of measures that are being introduced to help with customers who may otherwise…

Putting Coronavirus in Perspective: What Does it Mean for the Future of Globalization?

By Professor Joshua Ault As COVID-19, or Coronavirus, continues to spread across the country and the world, the most important conversations we are having now are how to stay safe and how to protect the economy from a sudden drop in activity. However, a secondary theme that we are tackling at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management is how COVID-19…

Special Report (2nd Edition) on Coronavirus Assistance

Federal Legislation and Administrative Actions as of April 2, 2020 This special report is to provide basic information on federal legislation and administrative actions in place to help individuals and businesses deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19 virus) epidemic. Congress passed and the President signed a $2 trillion recovery bill (the CARES Act) on March 27, and…

Special Report on Coronavirus Assistance

Federal Legislation and Administrative Actions Taken as of March 20, 2020 This special report is to provide basic information to IHA members on federal legislation and administrative actions now in place to help individuals and businesses deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19 virus) epidemic. While Congress works on a massive stimulus bill of $1 trillion or more that…