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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.

Smart Home: Keeping Connected

Michelle Hespe meets Carley Knobloch (or Carley K, like her blog is called), a digital lifestyle expert, to chat about the Internet of Things and the smart home. As a retailer, you need to embrace this new wave of technology or risk falling behind your competitors. A couple of years ago, most people hadn’t heard of Internet of Things (IoT) or the smart home. Even 12 months ago…

John Lewis: Key UK Retailer Update

As a preview to her presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on British retailer John Lewis Partnership and Anna Berry, Head of Buying for Gifts, Cook and Dine. John Lewis Partnership has 48 stores throughout the UK as well as their e-commerce business. Together with their sister retailer, Waitrose, annual sales reach over GBP 11 bn, with…

Generations of Inspiration

Michelle Hespe speaks to Patricia Lockhart, owner and director of Uruguay’s award-winning retail store, Bazar La Iberica and its focus on generations of inspiration. Achieving 100 years in business is something worth talking about. But Bazar La Iberica, a family-run retailer operating in a country with only 3 million inhabitants (half of which live on very low income) has…

Shoppers Stop: Key Indian Retailer Update

As a preview to his presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on Indian retail, Vikram Chitnis and Shoppers Stop, a retailer with an extensive focus on home and housewares. Retail in India continues to expand and develop from traditional “son & pop” shops to organized brick and mortar retail. Organized retail is expected reach $150 bn…

Ocean Freight: Cancellation Fees Related to Overbooking

Steamship lines have complained for years that shippers book more containers than what are required to meet their shipping needs. It is common practice for some shippers to place excess container bookings to protect space only to cancel these bookings prior to the sailing date. Steamship lines claim that for every four containers booked, only three show up for the sailing.…

Smart Thinking for Smart Living

Michelle Hespe catches up with Mike Wolf — a leading U.S. expert on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the evolution of the Smart Home — for a chat about what the future holds, and what is happening in the smart world, right now. It’s hard to comprehend that the first iPhone was released in 2007, and today over 2 billion people are using them. It all happened so…

Discovering Design: Stelton

Forming a Design Brand More than 50 years ago, two friends, Stellan and Carton, merged their first names to form Stelton, which became one of Denmark’s best-known design brands. Niels Stellan Høm and Carton Madelaire partnered to start a trading company in 1960. After marketing sports shoes and furniture, they learned about a small factory in Fårevejle, Denmark, Danish…

The Smart Home of the Not-Too-Distant Future

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a movement that is already part of our everyday lives and is growing rapidly. And, the future is exciting for the Smart Home with several trends emerging including: Cooking Technology – Products are being embedded with smart sensors that control exact time, temperatures and even the humidity needed to properly cook a meal based on precise…

Yuwa Group: Japan Market Overview

As a preview to their presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on Yuwa Group, a Japanese distributor of consumer and household products. Yuwa Group was established in 1965 as an importer of consumer goods mainly from Europe, and over the last 20 years has begun working with U.S. suppliers as well. Yuwa is presently the sole agent for…