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…

Happy Holidays!

December 22, 2009

Author: Robert Trudeau, Chairman of the Board 2009 – 2010, IHA,Chairman, Trudeau Corporation As the year draws to a close, I would like to wish the best and most prosperous of holiday seasons to our entire industry. We send our best to our fellow suppliers who have persevered and driven innovation in the face of a difficult year, to our retailer partners around the world who…

India’s Retail Market Emerges

December 15, 2009

Author: Derek Miller, Vice President, International, IHA India’s retail market continues to develop with shopping malls, department stores and hypermarkets being opened on a regular basis. Major corporations are aggressively pushing ahead into the retail sector in order to build retail brands and to capture market share through new concepts, formats and joint…

Celebrating Design & Innovation

December 10, 2009

Author: Peter Giannetti, HomeWorld Business The 65 finalists in the 7th Annual Housewares Design Awards are set. A special celebration of their innovation will be held during a luncheon on February 3, 2010, at the New York Marriott Marquis. The Housewares Design Awards competition recognizes the creative efforts of the 65 finalists and this year’s nearly 300 entrants who…

Build It AND Market It and They Will Come…

December 4, 2009

Author: Marie Kulik, Manager, Exhibitor Business Development, IHA Building a booth and waiting for buyers to appear isn’t necessarily a formula for success. A successful trade show is closely tied to your pre-Show marketing, which creates excitement and drives traffic. Eighty-nine percent of the retailers who attend the International Home + Housewares Show are in search of…

Happy Thanksgiving

November 25, 2009

Author: Phillip Brandl, President, IHA This day of giving thanks celebrated in the U.S. on Thursday is the official beginning of the holiday season – bringing families together and putting consumers into a shopping frenzy for holiday gift-giving. And housewares plays a vital role on both fronts. As families gather for the Thanksgiving meal, housewares and homegoods products…

What’s “Out” in Consumer Lifestyle Trends

November 18, 2009

Author: Perry Reynolds, Vice President, Marketing & Trade Development, IHA Continuing our series on the “ins” and “outs” in consumer lifestyle trends, here is a list of housewares products that consumers say are “out” for 2009 and beyond. See the list of what housewares products they say are “in”. This list is from a focus group of consumers held in mid-October. The…

Notes from the Road…

November 17, 2009

Author: Derek Miller, Vice President, International, IHA If you’re like me and engaged in the international part of the housewares industry, and really, who’s not these days, you might have traveled to or are planning a trip to Hong Kong in the coming months. So what’s new and exciting? Hong Kong Convention Center – The remodeling construction is finally over with the total…

What’s “In” in Consumer Lifestyle Trends

November 12, 2009

Author: Perry Reynolds, Vice President, Marketing & Trade Development, IHA Consumer lifestyle trends are always changing. What’s in this month may be out in six months. To help the International Housewares Association (IHA) gauge what consumers are thinking about how they live, where they shop, what they buy and what types of housewares products they use, we convened a…

Sales Opportunities and Networking

November 10, 2009

Author: Derek Miller, Vice President, International, IHA The 2009 HECNA Global Forum back in September was very successful with over 75 housewares professionals attending. With the economy making this a challenging year, the Global Forum was an energetic and upbeat event with attendees and speakers eager to learn and share their experience. In a half-day session, Randy…