Global Innovation Awards

Local Lords

In Chicago this year, UK-based retailer Lords was chosen one of the top five retail stores in the world in the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) hosted by the International Housewares Association. Upon meeting the founding sisters of Lords — Rachna Dewan and Rita Dewan — there is an immediate sense of warmth, support and comradery. The pair, who are (respectively) Director…

gia Winners from 23 Countries Celebrated in Chicago

The International Home + Housewares Show and International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, today announced the national gia winners of 2015-2016 – including 25 outstanding home and housewares retailers from 23 countries around the globe. The gia program was created by the IHA and…

Introducing the 2016 gia Global Honorees

Of the 25 national gia Global Innovation Award winners of 2015-2016, five stores were selected the most innovative, outstanding retailers on the planet. We check out what makes them so unique and outstanding. The top five stores declared gia Global Innovation Honorees in 2016 were: Lakehouse from Canada, Illums Bolighus from Denmark, Kitchen Shop from Malaysia, K’OOK! from…

gia – Honoring Retail Excellence and Innovation

Every March in Chicago, the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) are hosted by the International Housewares Association. The gia awards, which have been dubbed the Oscars of the housewares retail industry, bring together 25 of the world’s most innovative retailers, all having been voted as the best in their country. The IHA Global Innovation Awards program was created to…

Down the Aisles: Hudson’s Bay

For most Canadians, Hudson’s Bay Company is a name that has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. The company, which is Canada’s longest continually running department store, was established in 1670. Since that day two and a half centuries ago, it has continued to expand and fine tune its innovative operations, firmly establishing itself as a brand that…

Out of the Ordinary: Koskela

Michelle Hespe meets the innovative owners of Koskela – one of five inspiring retail stores that became 2015 Global Honorees in the prestigious IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago. There’s a great quote by American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker John Rohn that captures the essence of what Australian retail duo Sasha Titchkosky and Russel Koskela set…

Soul Determination: Presentes Rodriguez

Presentes Rodriguez from Brazil was one of five retail stores in the world to become a Global Honoree at the 2015 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago. Michelle Hespe looks into what makes this South American business so exceptional. So what was said about Presentes Rodriguez? The gia jury thought the Brazilian homewares store really stood out from the rest of the…

Power to the People: John Lewis

Michelle Hespe checks out one of five global honorees from the 2015 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) and discovers the very clever concept behind the United Kingdom’s John Lewis department store chain. Imagine if there was a department store at which the customers made the business decisions? Where the people from the street created and guided the retail philosophy to…

Culinary Crusader: Jumbo

Michelle Hespe catches up with the manager of Jumbo — a Turkish retail chain specializing in kitchenware and cookware that was chosen as one of five Global Honorees at the 2015 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia). Function has always been crucial when it comes to cookware and dinnerware, but today, form and function are more tightly entwined than ever, with products designed to…