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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.

Consumer Alignment and Embracing Changes for Growth is Focus of CHESS 2017

Marketplace disruption and evolution, a new retail paradigm, channel management challenges, Millennials vs Boomers and lifestyle demographic changes continue to affect the way housewares are marketed and sold. How suppliers can use these challenges to grow their business will be explored in “Consumer Alignment…Embracing Change for Growth” during the 2017 Chief Housewares…

2017 CHESS: Consumer Alignment…Embracing Change for Growth

CHESS—Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession—is IHA’s annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event of the year allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts more than 150 chief officers…

Alexa, Show Me the Future: The Emerging Interfaces of The Smart Home

By Michael Wolf For most of my adult life, doing things around the home meant pushing buttons and turning dials. In fact, for almost everyone who isn’t a teenager or younger, the process of cooking, making coffee or doing laundry meant using mechanical controls. But that’s beginning to change. Touch screens have become massively popular over the past decade, and more…

June Currency Outlook

In their June 2017 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief The Euro reached its best level in 7 months France elected Emmanuel Macron Oil prices remain low after extension of OPEC’s production curtail US performance slowed, although GDP…

HIDC – Logistics Gateway to Europe

The Netherlands is an ideal Gateway to the European market. Many international companies have based their pan-European Distribution Centers in this country, enabling them to offer top-quality service and quick deliveries to their clients throughout the European Union and beyond. The Holland International Distribution Council (HIDC) assists international companies in setting up…

Global Retail Intelligence – June

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: June 29 - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is raising its bet on populous Southeast Asia, a region that is home to more than 600 million consumers. The Chinese internet giant said Wednesday it is plowing an additional $1 billion into Southeast Asia e-commerce firm Lazada Group, raising its stake to 83% from 51%.…

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…