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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.

The Future of How (and What) We Eat

As connectivity transforms the way we live, work and shop, there is a heavy focus on technology’s role in our daily lives. The internet pushed us into a global economy, and the Internet of Things will connect us to our stuff and to the people who make our stuff. But what about food? We’ve explored how kitchen appliances are evolving and how grocers and retailers are shifting…

Show to Sell: Cross Merchandising

by Martin M. Pegler Visual Merchandising is really a very simple concept to understand. “Visual” refers to sight and “showing” while “Merchandising” is about “selling”. WE—people who believe in and are practitioners of VM—believe that it is very important to show your products in a way that makes the shopping process simple—easy—convenient for the shoppers. It is important…

The Living Kitchen: How Technology Will Become Part of the “Fabric” of Our Homes

By Ashley Daigneault and Michael Wolf In 2015, Swedish furniture giant IKEA released a video that outlined their vision for what the kitchen of the future might look like. The IKEA 2025 Concept Kitchen looked like something out of the movie “Minority Report,” where machine vision, built-in sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) combined to make surfaces come alive with…

IHA Members Travel to Mexico to Meet with Key Retailers

Twelve IHA member companies traveled to Mexico to take part in a trade mission to Mexico City and Monterrey in June. The 2017 Trade Mission was a repeat of one held in August of 2016. This year, representatives from the following companies took part: Bodum, Eparé, Equator Appliances, Innova Products, Jascor Housewares, The Legacy Companies, MadeSmart Housewares, Maspion…

IBC 101: International Sales Essentials

As a preview to the presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on the IBC 101 workshop. Over 25 years ago, at the first several IBC Global Forums (then called the HECNA Annual Meeting), most of the attendees were new in some way to exporting. As the annual IBC Global Forum developed, the IBC Board and membership found that the program would…

Learning to Cook in the Modern Age

By Carley Knobloch You might not be unboxing a robot butler this decade, but there’s a good chance you’ll be adding a robotic appliance to your kitchen. With ovens that recognize what’s inside and tell you how to cook it, slow cookers that are controlled via app and appliances that stop when your meal is “just right,” will home cooks go the way of telegraph operators? Here’s…

Tendencias y Conceptos: Key Mexican Market Overview

As a preview to his presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on Meir Mareyna and his distribution company, Tendencias y Conceptos. The Mexican economy is ranked 13th in the world with a GDP of $1.5 trillion with 49% of total imports coming from the U.S. With nearly 60 years of experience importing and distributing home and housewares…

EPA: Key Latin American Retailer Update

As a preview to his presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on Juan Francisco España and EPA home centers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Venezuela. Headquartered in Valencia, Venezuela, EPA is a large hardware store chain, offering solutions for projects related to construction, decoration and remodeling. EPA stocks a wide…

Tax Reform: What You Need to Know about the Border Adjustment Tax

Not since 1986 has the U.S. Tax Code undergone fundamental reform. But now, with Republicans controlling both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and President Trump anxious for a win on one of his biggest promises from last year’s campaign, major efforts are underway to redefine our nation’s outdated and overly complex tax code to make the United States more…