International Housewares Association

Perfectly Porland

Porland of Turkey, one of the five gia Global Honorees this year, has a long, rich and colorful history. We look into what makes this manufacturer and retailer of porcelain stand out from the rest. by Michelle Hespe Porland’s logo features a ballerina executing a perfect pirouette. This elegant symbol conveys both beauty and strength, reflecting the grounding philosophy of this manufacturer and retailer of porcelain. The word…

CHESS 2019 – Retail’s Seismic Shift: Understanding the Forces Changing Housewares Consumers

Presented by: Michael Dart, Partner, Consumer/Retail Practice, A.T. Kearney Retail specialist and visionary, Michael Dart advises retail and consumer companies on how best to navigate retail’s seismic shifts. He combines his economics and finance training from Oxford University and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with more than 25 years of experience consulting with A.T. Kearney and Bain & Co. to provide a unique…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

April 14 – JD.com Creates Offline Catering Supply Chain SolutionJD.com with Juqi, a dinning chain in Beijing, announced a supply chain cooperation, positioning JD.com as the first platform in China capable of providing a one-stop supply chain solution covering both the full category of food and materials supply, and integrated warehousing and distribution services. Through the cooperation, JD will also provide intelligent inventory…

Navigating The Wild West of Ocean Shipping

by Dave Akers, IHSA "Good Judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." — Will Rogers Here is how the modern shipping business mirrors the Wild West: 1. The “Gold Rush” Boom and Bust Cycles The Old West was defined by the gold rush with sudden, explosive wealth that created overnight millionaires, followed by devastating busts that left ghost towns behind. Shipping operates on the exact same…

IHA Plans Sourcing Mission to Vietnam

To help members investigate alternatives to sourcing from China, the International Housewares Association will hold a sourcing mission to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, next year. The 2020 Vietnam Sourcing Mission will be offered in two sessions: April 20-22 or April 23-25. Each session is limited to just six companies to provide a high level of service and allow for private meetings and factory tours. The dates were chosen to allow…

Guide to Effective Retail Store Design

by Martin M. Pegler If RETAILING is your chosen path of livelihood, here are some simple guidelines you might like to consider when planning your retail store. 1. Let There Be Light! Without the proper light the merchandise cannot be seen or judged, colors cannot be appreciated, coordinates cannot be assembled, nor buying decisions made. Let your light be the best you can afford to install and use—or, if necessary, skimp on…

Three Housewares Executives Elected to IHA Board of Directors

September 19, 2022

ROSEMONT, ILL. (Sept. 19, 2022)—Three new directors have been elected to the board of directors of the International Housewares Association (IHA), the full-service trade association for the housewares industry. They are: Scott Felsenthal, CEO, Whitmor, Inc.; Sal Gabbay, CEO, Gibson Homewares; and Michael Hayes, chief customer officer, Newell Brands. Their three-year terms begin…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – August

September 6, 2022

August 31 – Hy-Vee to Hold Next Quarterly ‘Best of Local Brands’ Summit This year, Hy-Vee is focused on identifying suppliers with diverse backgrounds and urges minority-owned and women-owned businesses to apply for the quarterly summits From: Progressive Grocer August 31 – Dollar General Makes Additional Leadership Changes Dollar General announced several leadership…

Ocean Rates are Officially on the Decline

September 6, 2022

There is no longer denying that the Asia to U.S. market is showing signs of weakness. Major retailers have distribution centers that are already at capacity, so purchase orders are being delayed or cancelled altogether. Usually during the months of September and October, shippers are forced to pay peak season surcharges to secure space on vessels. That will not be the case…

Federal Spending, Taxes, Inflation and Interest Rates

September 6, 2022

According to many economists, a major contributor to inflation in the U.S. economy is federal spending. Congress had already spent $3 trillion in 2020 responding to the pandemic when Democrats took the reins and passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in March 2021. This was done despite warnings from economists including former Obama officials who feared more big…

Supply Chain Variables Cloud the Future

August 1, 2022

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA22, S. 3580) signed on June 16 by President Joe Biden is a major step toward fixing supply chain problems that involve ocean carrier practices. An immediate benefit for trucking firms and shippers is that OSRA now requires 13 specific items of information on carriers’ invoices and failure to include such information relieves the need…

Are $20,000 Spot Rates a Thing of the Past?

August 1, 2022

The worsening state of the global economy is starting to negatively impact the record high ocean spot rates that have overwhelmed shippers the last two years. Everyone involved in international shipping, including the ocean carriers, knew that the record high spot rates were not sustainable over a long period of time. The softening demand by consumers has some carriers…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – July

August 1, 2022

July 30 – Shopify Reports $1.2B Net Loss, Lays Off 10% of its Workforce The company’s e-commerce gamble “didn’t pay off,” CEO Tobi Lütke said, and it expects operating losses through the rest of the year. From: Retail Dive July 29 – Amazon Posts Q2 Loss Against Earnings Expectations Amazon fell short of second-quarter expectations as it continued working to cut costs and…

The Four Big Challenges of Exporting Successfully: Explained and Answered

July 27, 2022

By Thomas A. Cook, Managing Director, Blue Tiger International Part 2 of a 4-Part Series While there are numerous challenges that companies in the housewares business vertical face, there are four that dominate the export process. Manage these successfully and you’ll reduce export headaches and maximize the profitability and long-term sustainability of your export…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – June

July 1, 2022

June 30 – Ace Hardware Shuts Down The Grommet, Lays Off 44 The hardware retailer’s co-op structure made it difficult to expand the platform, according to founder Jules Pieri, who announced the closure on LinkedIn. From: Retail Dive June 30 – Qurate’s Rawlinson Unveils ‘Project Athens’ Turnaround Plan Qurate Retail President and CEO David Rawlinson II shared a three-year…

Perfectly Porland

CHESS 2019 – Retail’s Seismic Shift: Understanding the Forces Changing Housewares Consumers

Global Retail Intelligence – April

Navigating The Wild West of Ocean Shipping

IHA Plans Sourcing Mission to Vietnam

Guide to Effective Retail Store Design

Three Housewares Executives Elected to IHA Board of Directors

U.S. Retail Intelligence – August

Ocean Rates are Officially on the Decline

Federal Spending, Taxes, Inflation and Interest Rates

Supply Chain Variables Cloud the Future

Are $20,000 Spot Rates a Thing of the Past?

U.S. Retail Intelligence – July

The Four Big Challenges of Exporting Successfully: Explained and Answered

U.S. Retail Intelligence – June

Connect With IHA

Connect With The Inspired Home