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…

coffee

Trends: How Much Coffee Do Consumers Drink?

Many retailers sell coffee and coffee equipment in their stores. But how much coffee do U.S. consumers drink daily? The National Coffee Association keeps tabs on such data. Here is the association’s recent look at coffee drinking trends in the United States: U.S. coffee drinkers consume about 3 cups a day on average. The Association reminds us that research suggests that…

Coffee’s Retail Buzz

Americans have been waking up to coffee for a while, but now even more U.S. consumers grab at least one cup of Joe every day. According to the latest National Coffee Data Trends report from the National Coffee Association, 63 percent of American adults drink coffee daily. “Coffee is America’s most beloved beverage—and for good reason” says William Murray, NCA president…

Stats: Caffeine Habit Begins Early

Coffee consumption in the United States continues to rise, especially among millennials. And the caffeine habit is starting up at a younger age. Folks between the ages of 18 and 24, have caffeinated the demand for, well, caffeine. And that is having an impact on the world coffee market. According to a report from The Bloomberg Commodity Index, coffee prices have the…

Coffee Perks Up Sales

Retailers say that coffee-making products are helping to caffeinate their top lines as more consumers attempt to make their special brew at home. And in a reverse move from Nobel laureate Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Jazz Festival, consumers and retailers are unplugging their machines. Sales of pour-over cones, borosilicate glass containers, vacuum brewers, burr…

Stats: Craft Coffee Brewing Heads Home

Millennials are at the center of the niche for craft brewing at home, according to The NPD Group. A recent report from NPD doesn’t specify whether millennials are brewing coffee in their own homes or in their parents’ basements, but the important thing for specialty retailers is that craft brewing is making it out of the coffee shop and into a home kitchen. Some key…

Trends: Grinding The Beans

Millennials are at the center of the niche of those who brew craft coffee at home. That’s according to the new Craft Coffee Report from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group, and it is great news for retailers who stock those sort of specialty items and who also on the lookout for ways to attract millennial customers. Craft coffee brewing is not your grandmother’s…

Discover Design: Espro, Inc.

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Get to know the people behind the stylish, thought-provoking designs that will be exhibited in Discover Design. This series of conversations will give you a glimpse of the inspirations, influences and ideas that go into creating the exciting products that you'll see at the 2013 Show. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia,…

Housewares History: Ever Think of Coffee Drinking as Romantic? Savor a Sip of 1930s Glamour

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator This elegant chrome-plated Maxwelton Braes Sunbeam COFFEEMASTER set, with brewer/server, table stove, circular tray, creamer and sugar, is a classic of Depression-era streamlined design. It was promoted by the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company in the late 1930s as one of the company’s glamorous tableside cooking appliances. The…

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