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…

Strategic Alliance: International Home + Housewares Show and The Travel Goods Show Co-Location

May 3, 2010

Author: Mia Rampersad, Vice President, Trade Show, IHA March of 2011 will be an exciting time at the International Home + Housewares Show with a strategic alliance taking place with The Travel Goods Show. This co-location will bring together the world’s largest housewares-specific and travel trade fairs together for the first time. Founded in 1938, the Travel Goods…

Volcanoes, Hong Kong and Global Sourcing

April 28, 2010

Author: Derek Miller, Vice President, International, IHA Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Disrupts European Air Travel - Who could have predicted that headline? Of all the things that could go wrong, that certainly would have been the last on my list. For fairs in Asia, the timing could not have been worse. Traffic at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair and at the BIH/BIG fairs in…

2010 International Home + Housewares Show: Facts & Figures

April 14, 2010

Author: Derek Miller, Vice President, International, IHA The 2010 International Home + Housewares Show was a success with strong attendance in terms of both exhibitor and attendee data. To recap the Show, to follow are some Show facts and figures: Number of Exhibitors: 1,958 +13% increase from 2009 Number of New Exhibitors: 550 Number of non-U.S. Exhibitors:…

Using Twitter to Bring Traffic to Your Tradeshow Booth

February 23, 2010

Author Tim Patterson, @tradeshowguy on Twitter Social Media is no longer just for the bleeding edge folks like it was a year or two ago. Now everyone seems to be jumping into the pool. Many are looking before they leap - and some are not! Basic questions that management asks are, "What's the ROI on our investment in Social Media?" – or – "How can you justify the investment…

The Online Show Planner Makes The Home + Housewares Show More Productive

February 18, 2010

Author: Marie Kulik, Manager, Exhibitor Business Development, IHA With millions of online apps all claiming to make your life easier, we’ve got one that truly lives up to the hype. The Online Show Planner is a simple search/planning tool for the International Home + Housewares Show. Whether you're an exhibitor trying to generate new business, a buyer looking new products or…

Housewares Charity Foundation: Uniting the Industry, Honoring Its Leaders

February 5, 2010

Author: Judy Colitz, Manager, Special Events & Executive Services, IHA If you have never attended the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) Gala on Monday evening of the International Home + Housewares Show, you are missing not only the opportunity to make a difference for breast cancer research, but also an extremely enjoyable charity event and dinner. Nowhere else will…

Exhibitors Preview Housewares Products, Trends for the News Media

January 19, 2010

Author: Perry Reynolds The New Year started off on a high note for the 60 exhibitors who participated in IHA’s 2010 International Home + Housewares Show Media Preview January 7 in New York City. More than 60 consumer and trade editors came to see more than 150 housewares products that will be making their debut at the International Home + Housewares Show in March. Consumer…

A look ahead at 2010…

January 4, 2010

Author: Phillip Brandl, President, IHA As 2009 comes to a close and 2010 emerges, the International Housewares Association would like to wish everyone a very prosperous New Year! To fulfill IHA’s mission to connect, inform, support and enable our members to lead in the global marketplace, we are working hard to provide beneficial events and services to more than 1,800…

Ring in the New Year with cost savings!

December 28, 2009

Author: Sharon Janota, Manager, Trade Show Operations, IHA Within the last two years, the need to reduce Trade Show-related costs has been a frequent conversation with housewares industry exhibitors. Although exhibitor cost reduction has always been a top priority for the International Housewares Association (IHA), we sat down and strategized new ways to reduce your total…