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…

Housewares Cares: James Beard Chefs highlight Gala dinner

March 6, 2012

Five award-winning James Beard celebrity chefs from around the nation will be preparing their signature specialties for a once-in-a-lifetime dinner during the 15th Annual Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) Gala, Monday, March 12, at the Hilton Chicago. Participating in this unique culinary experience will be Michelle Bernstein, host of the PBS weekly TV series, “Check Please!…

2012 Student Design Competition Winners!

March 5, 2012

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Get Inspired by Young Talent -- Meet the Winners of IHA’s Student Design Competition Six talented industrial design students will show their concepts for future home products that solve problems in the kitchen and help tend children, adults and pets. Sharing first place are two winners: Samuel Chen, a junior at University…

IHA Giveaway: Trudeau!

March 2, 2012

The 2012 International Home + Housewares Show is just over a week away and we're sure to see all kinds of amazing new items for the home from kitchen gadgets to mufti-purpose appliances to modern storage systems. This week's giveaway comes to you from a company that specializes in that "kitchen gadgets" category, Trudeau!Trudeau is offering up a Stess-Less Can Opener and an…

New for 2012: 4 Exhibits Head North!

March 2, 2012

Four new areas in the Clean, Contain + Sustain Expo in the North Building will bring excitement and new buyer traffic to the expo during the 2012 International Home + Housewares Show March 10-13 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The areas, previously located in the South Building, are the Inventors Corner, Inventors Revue, New Exhibitor Area and Service Providers…

Cooking w/ Caitlin is back for 3 special #FNIchat sessions at #IHHS12!

March 1, 2012

The pots are polished, the knives are sharpened…and the van is packed! As the international community of housewares inventors, designers, producers, and retailers gears up for the big Show, we are stacking the van with our luggage and laptops to deliver the Show in a big way. We bring with us a social-media audience of housewares shoppers and culinary enthusiasts just waiting…

Knowing Innovation: Elizabeth Dougherty, Office of Innovation Development, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

March 1, 2012

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator At the International Home + Housewares Show next month, the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center will present 21 educational programs, every hour beginning Saturday afternoon and ending Tuesday afternoon. The Theater is set in Room E350, near the entry to the Level 3 Lobby and the Hall of Innovation. Experts in new product…

Knowing Innovation: Crystalyn Stuart, IMRE

February 27, 2012

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator At the International Home + Housewares Show next month, the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center will present 21 educational programs, every hour beginning Saturday afternoon and ending Tuesday afternoon. The Innovation Theater will be located in Room E350, near the entry to the Level 3 Lobby and the Hall of Innovation.…

IHA Giveaway: Fresh Wave!

February 23, 2012

We're now just three short weeks away from the 2012 International Home + Housewares Show (YIKES!) and this week's giveaway features one of the more environmentally-friendly companies exhibiting this year, Fresh Wave! They're known for their all-natural cleaning and odor eliminating products that boast non-toxic and non-hazardous qualities, safe to use around children and…

RECAP: 2012 IH+HS January Show Preview Event

February 22, 2012

The IHA January Show Preview brings together nearly 70 companies that feature a small but fantastic sample of the millions of items you can find in March at the Housewares Show. Companies display and demonstrate these wonderful new items to NYC media members, giving everyone a small taste of what's ahead this March. Below is a sample of some of the demos from the event last…