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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.

How to Succeed in the Kitchen Without Really Trying

The Joys (and Concerns) Over Assisted Cooking By Carley Knobloch It’s 6:30 p.m., and I’m pulling a juicy roast beef from the oven. The roast is perfectly crusted with rosemary and ringed by caramelized onions and golden potato wedges. I slice into the buttery-soft meat and practically swoon—this dinner deserves a Michelin star. Ambitious for a weeknight dinner? Not if you…

2018 gia Global Honoree – Pollmann sinds 1890

by Michelle Hespe The 128-year-old Dutch retail store, Pollmann sinds 1890, has always had family, personal service and cooking at its heart. Nick and Anke Pollmann, the fourth-generation owners of Pollmann sinds 1890, raised a glass to Nick’s great grandfather, Bernhard Pollmann, at the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago this year, to celebrate the store…

Trends: Consumers Cooking at Home

Dining in is becoming more fashionable than dining out. Both of the 800-pound gorillas of generational groups—Boomers and Millennials—have been opting to stay home and cook (or order delivery) rather than spend money at restaurants, according to a couple of studies from The NPD Group. NPD’s latest “Eating Patterns in America” report finds that consumers are making fewer…

2018 gia Global Honoree – Tugó

by Michelle Hespe Becoming one of five Global Honorees in the 2018 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago is another step along what is sure to be a long and prosperous road for Tugó — a retail store with a mantra ‘Great design is for Everyone.’ Adriana Cano, Visual Merchandising Manager from Tugó, and Christian Morales, the store’s Marketing Manager, are nothing…

Reason to Cheer? Depends on Where You Live

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce polled small business owners about the state of the economy during the third quarter last fall and found that most were optimistic about increasing revenue in 2018. Most also said their local economies were strong. About one-quarter of those businesses surveyed were retailers. Increased confidence in local economies and the health of small…

Optimize Shipping Advantages for Your Business

IHA continues successful partnership with International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA). The International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA) is the not-for-profit shippers’ association formed by IHA to lower supply chain costs for its members at the highest quality service levels. Through combined leverage of members, IHSA negotiates freight contracts with more…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: April 16 - JD.Com Plans to Open 1000 Stores Per Day The Chinese online retail giant opened a store a week in March and announced that their goal is to continue their rapid expansion of franchised convenient stores to reach 1 million in 5 years. From MINGTIAandI April 16 – Alibaba’s Tmall Launches New…

Le Petite Gourmet Shoppe

Location: La Grange, Texas Founded: 2006 Owner: Donella Dopslaug-Cernosek Square footage: 7,200, including 5,000 sq. ft. of retail space La Grange, Texas, is a small place with a big kitchenware store. At 7,200 sq. ft., Le Petite Gourmet Shoppe has more square feet of retail space than there are people in the town. While owner Donella Dopslaug-Cernosek says that…

Being Smarter About Smart Home

by Joe Derochowski, The NPD Group In the first 11 months of 2017, U.S. dollar sales of home automation products increased 40 percent, with strong growth across all device types, according to The NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service. Home automation products were among the fastest selling items during the 2017 holiday season – over Thanksgiving week and Cyber Week, home…