IBC

International Housewares Business Leaders Meet Today in Rosemont

by Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator IHA opens its Global Forum, the essential annual meeting for sales professionals and companies looking to grow their international business, on Tuesday, June 17 at the Intercontinental O’Hare hotel. Participants will hear market overviews by retailers from Kuwait, China, Russia, Brazil, Czech Republic and Australia and will learn…

A Milestone Win: Lakeland

Michelle Hespe catches up with Matthew Canwell, Director of Buying for Lakeland in the United Kingdom – one of six 2014 Global Honorees at the gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago. It all began back in 1964, in a humble garage in the United Kingdom. In that garage, a family started selling plastic freezer bags, and the demand for the bags gradually grew. By the 70’s, the…

Cooking Up a Dream: Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte

Michelle Hespe catches up with Bianca Bonte, the managing director and founder of Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, and discovers a charmingly rustic, modern cookware store in the Netherlands that pays homage to its surroundings. At the 2014 Global Innovation Awards (gia) held in Chicago in March, Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, a store lovingly run by Bianca Bonte in the city of Oostburg…

Aussie Nomads: TheSuperCool

Michelle Hespe catches up with the dynamic Australian duo behind TheSuperCool – a pop-up store that is growing some roots – in cyberspace and soon on the ground. It was one of six retail stores from around the world to become a Global Honoree at the 2014 gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago. The reputation of the husband-and-wife team, Kate Vandermeer and David Nunez (aka…

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Kastner & Öhler

Michelle Hespe speaks to the team behind Kastner & Öhler, one of the six impressive gia Global Honorees from the 2014 Global Innovation Awards held in Chicago. Kastner & Öhler (K & Ö) has an incredibly rich history behind their exceptionally modern 40,000 square-meter department store. The store willalso always hold a special place in retail history, being…

Housewares Exports Grow in 2013

Report and analysis by: Laura Spingola, Trade Resources Ltd. 2013 was a positive year for housewares exports as they grew 3.9% to nearly $4.3 billion. This is a record high! Almost all export markets expanded, though the pace was more moderate than that of the previous four years. Houseware exports have now climbed 12.8% over the past two years. This is a testament to the…

Retail News from Around the World: 4/9/2014

Walmart India Planning a long run in India, Wal-Mart to open 50 wholesale stores in next 4-5 years, to enter ecommerce, strengthen compliance procedures: "Wal-Mart is committed to India and we are excited about our growth plans and we will continue to focus on the cash-and-carry format as we are very happy with the way it has shaped up in the last few years," Walmart Asia…

Australia Home & Housewares Market Overview: Insight to Consumer Buying

IBC Members have access to the Australian Home & Housewares Market Report prepared in September 2013, highlighting specifics makeup of the market in Australia as well as demographics influencing consumer purchasing. In addition to the many Australian retailers described within the Australian Home & Housewares Market Report, members are encouraged to review the…

Helpful Tips for Domestic Licensing

American companies have been successfully manufacturing high quality OEM products in China for decades. Many of the goods produced at their Chinese partner factories are immediately exported back to America or other international markets for outside consumption. With China’s ever-growing middle class and government policies aimed specifically at increasing domestic consumption,…