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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.

Rebellious Energy SS18

Looking ahead to 2018, there are several shifts in consumer mood that are driving trends in design for the home. One major influence in housewares trends, is a growing consumer desire to seek out newness and do things differently. This rebellious attitude is influencing a much bolder and futuristic aesthetic within the home, particularly for the Spring Summer…

Ocean Carrier Financial Results Seeing Red

The 2016 operating margins for the top 13 ocean carriers have been announced. While the fourth quarter showed some improvement, the overall numbers were abysmal for the containership industry. Of the 13 carriers, only three posted operating margins in the black. Despite an uptick in rates triggered by the collapse of Hanjin Shipping, the remaining 10 carriers posted margins in…

2017 gia Global Honoree – Borough Kitchen

Michelle Hespe catches up with two Canadian friends who have managed to create a passionate retail-based community, Borough Kitchen, that all started within London’s Borough Market, with cooking and homewares firmly at its heart. Taking the step from being successful bankers to the owners of a happening kitchen retailer in a thousand-year-old London food market doesn’t seem…

2017 gia Global Honoree – Potten & Pannen – Staněk

Michelle Hespe catches up with one of the five 2017 gia global honorees, Pavel Staněk—Co-founder and President of the highly innovative Potten & Pannen – Staněk in the Czech Republic. The gia Global Honoree award-winning Potten & Pannen store is a KitchenAid concept store and a gourmet cooking academy based in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. “Our grounding…

Cuba: Immediate Challenges & Long-Term Opportunities

IHA Staff conducted a recent market visit to Havana, Cuba to assess the market potential of this relatively closed and unknown market. Due to the lifting of certain restrictions by U.S. citizens to visit Cuba, more and more Americans are beginning to visit this nearby country, and there is the potential in the coming years that U.S. housewares companies will be able to…

Export 101: Understanding Market Selection

When choosing to sell internationally, market selection is an important but potentially daunting task. There are approximately 194 countries around the globe, and selecting where to begin exporting can have a significant impact on finances and long term success. Often, suppliers begin as an “accidental exporter”, selling to those customers and countries who proactively…

April Currency Outlook

In their April 2017 Currency Outlook report, Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, provides a detailed report including the following topics and sections: In Brief Stock markets declined, including a 3% Down Jones fall Record turnout in the Dutch election revealed Mark Rutte as the victor over Geert Wilders Brexit started March 29, beginning a…

MercadoLibre: Latin America’s Largest Online Retailer

As a preview to their presentation during the upcoming IBC Global Forum, the following is a brief on MercadoLibre, the leading Latin American e-commerce retailer. MercadoLibre was established in August 1999 in Argentina and rapidly expanded to Brazil (as MercadoLivre.com), Mexico and other South American countries. It is the largest e-commerce retailer in Latin America,…

Farcent Enterprise: Taiwan Brand Agent and Distributor

Farcent Enterprise Co. is seeking IHA member brands for brand agency representation or strategic partnerships in Taiwan. Farcent Enterprise Co., Ltd was founded in 1983, with over 33 years of experience in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry. Farcent is a publicly listed company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp. (TWSE) listed as 1730.TW. It is a major household…