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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.

Hanjin Bankruptcy is a Game Changer

It was only a matter of time before the unthinkable happened in the shipping industry. On August 31, 2016, Hanjin Shipping filed for bankruptcy protection sending shockwaves through the shipping industry. Bankruptcies are not new to the shipping industry. There have been numerous bankruptcies over the last 15 years with the most notables being Cho Yang in 2001 and Hainan POS in…

Global Retail Intelligence – September 2016

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: August 26 – Walmart & ASDA, UK Bloomberg offered a review of the state of supermarket retailing in the UK including a suggestion that “Walmart should cut Asda loose. The U.S. retail giant has struggled with the U.K. supermarket it bought for 6.7 billion pounds ($8.9 billion) in 1999. A sale to a private…

Trends: Food Gifting On the Rise

It probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise that people like to eat chocolate. Or that people enjoy food. And everyone likes to receive gifts. Put that all together and it also isn’t surprising that food gifts are increasingly popular across all occasions and food gift types. And that is good news for retailers who sell specialty food products and gift baskets. U.S. consumer…

New Pavilion to Spotlight the Smart Home, Connected Products at 2017 International Home + Housewares Show

The future of housewares is quickly moving toward the smart home. With innovations from established and start-up companies, connected and smart products, once only a dream, are fast becoming a reality. The 2017 International Home + Housewares Show will spotlight these innovative housewares products in the IHA Smart Home Pavilion. The 2017 Show will be held March 18 to 21 at…

Stats: Cooking for Generations

What’s for dinner? That depends on whom you ask. According to a generational study published by The NPD Group, the evening meal is the dining event of the day that is most sharply divided by age. Knowing what people want for dinner is a key issue for both retailers and manufacturers trying to figure out what consumers want to buy to cook that meal. Or whether they want to cook…

Retail Profile: The Kitchen Shoppe & Cooking School

Retailer: The Kitchen Shoppe & Cooking School Location: Carlisle, Pa. Founded: 1974 Owners: Sue and Dan Hoffman Square footage: 7,000 sq. feet When Sue Hoffman first opened her store, The Kitchen Shoppe, she focused on selling manual kitchen gadgets. But then engineer Carl Sontheimer introduced an appliance that became known as the Cuisinart food processor. The impact on…

Experts To Offer Insight on Navigating Transitional Times

The upcoming presidential election, a changing retail environment, aging consumers and global economic distress are presenting challenging times for the housewares industry. Experts in politics, retail, economics, marketing and supply chain logistics will offer insight into these issues as they explore “Navigating Transitional Times…Through Political, Economic and Cultural…

Possible Impacts of Hanjin’s Bankruptcy on Current Shipments

By: David P. Street and Brendan Collins, IHSA Legal Council As you are probably aware, Hanjin filed for bankruptcy protection in Korea on Wednesday August 31st. The filing came just a day after the company creditor's discontinued financial assistance of more than USD $896 million to keep the company operating. The Korean bankruptcy court will determine whether Hanjin should…

Cast Iron Shows Retail Strength

A staple used by pioneers, cast iron cookware is now being embraced by millennials. Specialty retailers say the 18-to-34-year-old crowd has led to an uptick in sales of the durable cookware, from high-end to basic pieces as millennial customers, who love local artisanship as much as they love value, find the two combined in pans in the style of those their great-grandmothers…