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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 Allure Of In-Store Shopping

By Peter Giannetti The data confirms consumers are enthusiastically embracing in-store shopping again. Some wonder, though, if the rush back to stores could end up short-lived novelty, a pent-up release by a reopening society that can’t resist the convenience of e-commerce that became more routine during the pandemic. With national retailers launching myriad…

An American-Made Way To Beat The Supply-Chain Heat

By Peter Giannetti Lasko Products, the West Chester, Pa.-based home environment appliance company, recently released a limited-edition, American-made box fan for Walmart.com in time for Fourth of July promotions and, even more opportunely, as a sweltering heat wave blasted much of the country. The patriotic marketing angle is natural for a company that for generations has…

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Explained

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed in March 2020 created a new Employee Retention Credit (ERC) for employers who: Had operations partially or fully suspended as a result of orders from a governmental authority due to Covid-19, orExperienced a decline in gross receipts by more than 50% in a quarter compared to the same quarter in…

All Facets of US Supply Chain in Turmoil

Finding container space is not the only problem facing US importers. Once a container arrives at the marine terminal to be off loaded, the shipper can expect a stack of new problems. Port congestion, chassis availability, truck power, and rail capacity are just a few of the issues preventing cargo from moving freely to US distribution centers. Port congestion has…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – June

June 28 – Albertsons’ Vivek Sankaran sizes up state of grocery post-pandemic FMI Midsummer session spotlights trends that will stick and those that might not. From: Supermarket News June 28 – Inside the Herman Miller x Knoll Merger Things are moving faster than expected. BOH looks at who’s in, who’s out, and the background of a deal that almost didn’t happen. From:…

When Business and Family Reunite

By Peter Giannetti Henry Nading, from Houston, hadn’t seen his parents, Art and Martha Nading, from Greensboro, N.C., (pictured above) in nearly a year and a half until a joyous reunion at this week’s Dallas Total Home & Gift Market. This moving story of a son reuniting with his parents after a stressful pandemic also happens to be a story of a housewares sales and…

Global Retail Intelligence – June

June 23 – Retail Sales Drop in CanadaAmid third COVID-19 wave, retail sales in Canada fell 5.7% to $54.8 billion in April, the largest decline since April 2020 during the pandemic’s first wave. General merchandise sales dropped 8.1%. From Global News June 22 – France’s Luxury Department Store, La Samaritaine ReopensAfter closing for renovation for 16 years, Paris’…

Meet the Press

By Peter Giannetti What a difference a couple of months can make. There was still uncertainty in mid-April about whether the International Housewares Association would be allowed to hold its summer press preview planned for mid-June in New York City. However, with New York State’s slight easing of gathering restrictions at the time, the decision was made to move ahead…

Don’t Let Supply Chain Pressure Delay Progress

By Peter Giannetti Skyrocketing freight rates, container shortages, port backlogs and myriad other supply chain snags are all severe symptoms of a prolonged period of high pandemic-era demand for home and housewares, among other products. Suppliers feel helpless, but this is now an unavoidable extra cost of doing business that shows little sign of easing until…