HECNA

Housewares Export Council Becomes International Business Council

The HECNA Board has approved a rebranding of the Housewares Export Council to the IHA International Business Council (IBC). This will be officially announced just after the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show. In addition, the IHA Board has approved an elimination of dues for IBC beginning with the new membership year that will begin April 1, 2014. The elimination of…

HECNA: Australia’s Most Powerful Retailers Revealed

This past fall, Australia trade publication, Inside Retail Magazine, published its list of the most powerful retailers and coming out on top was Grant O’Brien of Woolworths. “This year Woolworths’ Grant O’Brein comes in at number one. O’Brien succeeded Michael Luscombe as MD and CEO of Woolworths in October 2011 after previous roles as COO Australian food and petrol, director…

Retail News from Around the World

Big Lots Plans Canadian Departure As Losses Grow As part of its third quarter earnings announcement, Big Lots revealed that it is pulling out of Canada after two years of effort didn't produce the traction the retailer expected. In its earnings announcement, Big Lots posted a consolidated loss from continuing operations of $9.5 million, or 17 cents per diluted share, versus a…

HECNA: The Two Latin Americas

Companies who sell to Latin America or those who wish to in the future will be interested in David Luhnow’s essay in this weekend’s Wall Street Journal entitled “The Two Latin Americas.” As Luhnow says, “There are two Latin Americas right now. The first is a bloc of countries—including Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela—that faces the Atlantic Ocean, mistrusts globalization and…

HECNA Global Forum: Rethinking the 4 P’s

In today’s business-to-business environment, sticking to the traditional four P’s of marketing – product, place, price and promotion- has fostered narrow, product-focused strategies. Those strategies lead marketing and sales teams to stress product attributes that are no longer differentiators but are now simply the cost of market entry. Richard Ettenson, using insights from…

Innovation Insights: An Interview with Rob Wallace, Wallace Church

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs + Services Learn how to develop and launch the right products for the right customer—with the right methods! The four days of the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show will be packed with events as well as educational sessions. To help you plan your time at the Show, we’re giving you a preview of the presentations that will take place in…

Innovation Insights: An Interview with Howard Lim, HOW Creative

Helpful Hints for HECNA Travelers

HECNA members who travel frequently should check out the following websites for intel and tips on how to be a safer and smarter traveler: Skift is a travel intelligence company that offers news, information, data and services to professionals in the travel industry and professional travelers to help them make smart decisions about travel. Simply put: Skift is the…