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…

International Housewares Association

Leatrice Eiseman Explores Color Trends, Previews 2015 Palettes at International Home + Housewares Show

Radiant Orchid is the Pantone Color of the Year, Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told an audience today at the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show. “It’s a beautiful color,” Eiseman said. “The inspiration for it is a harmony of fuchsia and pink undertones, like a gorgeous sunset. It’s a hue that sparks the imagination.…

Lifestyle Guru Tom Mirabile Reveals the Top Housewares Trends for 2014

Housewares manufacturers need to adapt, inspire and motivate in order to have success with today’s ever changing consumer, IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile said today at the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show. He explained how to do so during his early morning seminar, “Top Trends for 2014The New Normal: How to Survive and Thrive in our Erratic…

Five Minute Interview with Celebrity Chef Michelle Bernstein

Michelle Bernstein is always on the go. A former ballerina and James Beard Award winner, the Miami native is a successful restaurateur, celebrity chef, cookbook author, regular judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, and host of the PBS weekly series Check Please! She battled celebrity chef Bobby Flay with gusto on Iron Chef America and won. The Show caught up with her before her…

Designer + Kickstarter = Entrepreneur: How to Launch A Company with Kickstarter

One of the more dynamic and attention grabbing ways to develop and market new products today is Kickstarter, a web-based home that funds creative products including films, games, art, design, technology and, yes, housewares. Three entrepreneurs who raised funds on Kickstarter for their products – silicone baking sheets with the accent on design and functionality, an…

Two Fat Pigs in the Python

The Baby Boomers, the large population growth that began after World War II, has long been known as the “pig in the python”—an image depicting the pig (the huge, sharp population growth) swallowed by the python (the world) and moving through it gradually, having an enormous impact on consumer needs, preferences and spending. Now there’s another pig: Millennials. Put the two…

Win at Dreaming – Identifying Passion Points for Market Share Growth

Housewares suppliers today are trying to woo a unique aspirational society by developing passion points that are meaningful to each consumer generation and their retail experiences, said Susan Yashinsky of Sphere Trending. Due to the incredible boom in new technology, particularly smart phones and other digital communication, consumers went too far one way, “sleeping with…

Five Minute Interview with Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless has made a career out of Mexican food. From owning restaurants, to TV appearances, shows of his own and award-winning books and cooking lessons that inspire and educate, his world revolves around Mexican culinary offerings. IHA catches up with Chef Bayless at the Show. You were one of the first celebrity chefs to engage with media and you've stayed on top of that.…

The Internet of Things at Your Door

As the Internet of Things becomes more tangible for consumers and more household products become “smart,” there is huge potential for the housewares industry, said a panel of manufacturers, consumer editors and technology experts. But housewares manufacturers will need to be smart, as well, about introducing those “smart” housewares products to consumers, the panelists said.…

Rethinking the Shopper’s Path to Purchase

Because our digital world of smartphones, tablets, laptops/PCs, and connected/streaming TV activity has dramatically changed how consumers shop for housewares, it is imperative that housewares executives reach shoppers before products hit the shelves. In addition, research from Google shows that people are increasingly looking to reflect their own style in the brands they…

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