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…

Container Freight

Truck Capacity Creating Challenges for Importers

The shipping industry has been anything but normal the last five years. During this time period, U.S. importers have dealt with gridlock at the ports, bankrupt carriers, ransomware attacks, customer service failures and severe space shortages. The newest problem looming over the shipping industry is the lack of truck capacity. U.S. importers moving cargo from the ports to…

Ocean Contract Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations covering cargo moving from Asia to the United States are nearing completion. The negotiation process has become very cumbersome for shippers due to the lack of communication provided by the carriers. A large part of the lack of communication can be blamed on the recent wave of acquisitions that have taken place in the containership industry. Fewer…

ILWU Extends Labor Contract

Shippers remember all too well the chaos and congestion that engulfed US West Coast during the 2014-2015 labor contract negotiations between the ILWU (International Longshore Warehouse Union) and the representatives for the steamship lines. It took the threat of getting Washington DC involved before the parties agreed to a contract. By the time the contract was finally signed,…

Ocean Freight: Cancellation Fees Related to Overbooking

Steamship lines have complained for years that shippers book more containers than what are required to meet their shipping needs. It is common practice for some shippers to place excess container bookings to protect space only to cancel these bookings prior to the sailing date. Steamship lines claim that for every four containers booked, only three show up for the sailing.…

Ocean Carrier Financial Results Seeing Red

The 2016 operating margins for the top 13 ocean carriers have been announced. While the fourth quarter showed some improvement, the overall numbers were abysmal for the containership industry. Of the 13 carriers, only three posted operating margins in the black. Despite an uptick in rates triggered by the collapse of Hanjin Shipping, the remaining 10 carriers posted margins in…

IHSA Negotiating May 1st Ocean Contract Rates

Ocean contract negotiations for cargo moving from Asia to the United States and Canada have been on-going for several weeks. It was anticipated that the carriers were going to take a tough stand this year and push for substantial rate increases. The carriers were not going to allow 2017 to be a repeat of 2016 where they collectively lost billions of dollars. Initial feedback…

Transformation of the Trans-Pacific Ocean Shipping Market

December 31, 2016 could not have come soon enough for shippers that import and export ocean containers through the Trans-Pacific ocean shipping lanes to and from the United States. 2016 will be remembered as one of the most turbulent years on record for the international shipping industry. Shippers struggled to find consistent and reliable services while weaker ocean carriers…

Space is Tight, Are Your Protected?

Container ships sailing from China to the U.S. have remained full since Hanjin unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy at the end of August. Specific areas, such as Ningbo and Shanghai, are providing far greater challenges for shippers to secure space than the Southern China region. Ocean carriers have been actively rolling cargo from Shanghai and Ningbo for over a month. Some…

Possible Impacts of Hanjin’s Bankruptcy on Current Shipments

By: David P. Street and Brendan Collins, IHSA Legal Council As you are probably aware, Hanjin filed for bankruptcy protection in Korea on Wednesday August 31st. The filing came just a day after the company creditor's discontinued financial assistance of more than USD $896 million to keep the company operating. The Korean bankruptcy court will determine whether Hanjin should…

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