All Posts

IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

ILWU Extends Labor Contract

Shippers remember all too well the chaos and congestion that engulfed US West Coast during the 2014-2015 labor contract negotiations between the ILWU (International Longshore Warehouse Union) and the representatives for the steamship lines. It took the threat of getting Washington DC involved before the parties agreed to a contract. By the time the contract was finally signed,…

Trends: Daily Coffee Consumption Up

Americans once again are waking up to coffee. The percentage of Americans drinking coffee on a daily basis is up this year, thanks in part to better-tasting gourmet brews becoming more popular across all age groups in the U.S. That’s according to The National Coffee Association’s 2017 National Coffee Drinking Trends tracking report, which found that the percentage of…

Retail Profile: Plum’s Cooking Company

When Penny Klinedinst learned her friend Caroline Peterson, then owner of Plum’s Cooking Company, was retiring and planning to close the much-loved cookware shop, Klinedinst knew she had to find a way to keep Plum’s open. So she bought the store. “She was going to close the doors and that didn’t sit well with me,” says Klinedinst, who also owns a neighboring store in the…

August Currency Outlook

In their August 2017 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief US GDP growth lower than anticipated US Dollar weakened against major currencies such as Canadian Dollar and Euro Stock indexes thrived, hitting all-time records Euro-zone economies…

Export 101: Understanding Pricing

Pricing: Where to Begin Developing an export pricing strategy is one of the most important and complicated aspects of selling overseas. There are many factors to take into consideration when setting prices including your company’s export objectives, market dynamics, costs associated with exporting the product, and sales strategy. When considering your company’s export…

Global Retail Intelligence – August

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: August 28 – Nordic Retailer, H&M Launches New Store, Arket The first Arket store that features fashion and home products opened in London on Regent Street and the company has launched the online store. Additional store openings are planned for Copenhagen, Brussels and Munich. From Business…

Looking for Local

Local retailers seek local products. That’s the theme across the nation as specialty retailers, many of whom also find they benefit from customers looking to shop at local businesses, try to return the favor with nearby producers. “We always focus on finding local products,” says Dan Saklad, owner of, along with wife Diana, Whisk in Cary, N.C. “We are local, so we do…

Hardware Store Update from the Japan DIY Industry Association

Information provided by the Japan DIY Industry Association shows remarkable development in the sales and number of DIY stores/home centers in Japan since the first DIY store was opened in the country over 40 years ago. There are now over 4,500 DIY stores/home centers in Japan with annual general proceeds reaching 3.95 trillion yen. Annual general proceeds & number of DIY…

The Emotional Retail Game

by Michelle Hespe There are many convoluted dimensions when it comes to creating a special retail experience, and while Wolfgang Gruschwitz believes that the emotional dimension is the key to enticing a consumer into purchasing products, today it’s also about understanding a customer’s lifestyle choices in order to create a strong story for your brand, and a #PerfectStore.…