International Business Council

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 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…