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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.

November Currency Outlook

Tempus, an exchange rate and global payments company, evaluated the current state of currency in their November Currency Outlook. Overall, the USD is poised to strengthen with a December rate hike. The market has now factored in a 92% likelihood of a rate hike. The Tempus traders completed their November Currency report just prior to the election, but the view is, regardless…

Coffee Perks Up Sales

Retailers say that coffee-making products are helping to caffeinate their top lines as more consumers attempt to make their special brew at home. And in a reverse move from Nobel laureate Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Jazz Festival, consumers and retailers are unplugging their machines. Sales of pour-over cones, borosilicate glass containers, vacuum brewers, burr…

The Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza River North, A Full-Service Hotel with Spectacular Views!

Book now and enjoy these additional incentives: Book early and enjoy a special rate of $150 per night. Rates increase January 1st. Additional 1,000 IHG Rewards Points, if booked before January 1st. Receive a complimentary drink in Cityscape Bar. Complimentary Wifi in guestrooms. $39 overnight parking with in and out parking privileges. Book Your Discounted…

IHA Members Meet with Key Australian & New Zealand Buyers

Six IHA member companies participated in the IHA Trade Mission to Sydney and Auckland, October 30 – November 4 to develop sales opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. The participating IHA members, Astage, Candle Warmers, Honey-Can-Do, Hutzler Mfg., Nordic Ware and Whitmor, met with key home and housewares retailers and toured retail stores to learn more about how…

Export 101: Understanding Exchange Rates

When conducting international business, it is important to take historical, current and forecasted exchange rates into account. It’s also very important to determine the specific currency in which a transaction will be priced. This decision will determine potential risks and rewards as exchange rates fluctuate. As an example, US Company A sells their Product for US$1,…

Stats: Craft Coffee Brewing Heads Home

Millennials are at the center of the niche for craft brewing at home, according to The NPD Group. A recent report from NPD doesn’t specify whether millennials are brewing coffee in their own homes or in their parents’ basements, but the important thing for specialty retailers is that craft brewing is making it out of the coffee shop and into a home kitchen. Some key…

California Releases New Prop 65 Warning Regulations

After considering them for more than a year, California’s Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has finally issued new “Safe Harbor” warning regulations for Proposition 65. The new regulations intend to provide consumers “more specificity” about the chemical content of products sold in California. They take effect on August 30, 2018 and are set forth in California Health…

Global Retail Intelligence – November 2016

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: November 1 - Australian Dollar Growth Bloomberg says that the performance of the Australian dollar may be a positive indicator for the global economy. The currency is the top performer in developed markets since mid-year, and Australia’s ties to China and commodities makes it an economic barometer. The…

Trends: Grinding The Beans

Millennials are at the center of the niche of those who brew craft coffee at home. That’s according to the new Craft Coffee Report from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group, and it is great news for retailers who stock those sort of specialty items and who also on the lookout for ways to attract millennial customers. Craft coffee brewing is not your grandmother’s…