retail

Stats: Back-to-School All Year Long

Every day is back-to-school shopping day. Almost. Back to school shopping, (which includes household items like kitchenware, tableware and home decor among those college-aged folks) has become hard to pin down, according to a new study from The NPD Group. While U.S. students usually go back to school around Labor Day and traditional back-to-school shopping also had a…

Global Retail Intelligence – September

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: September 27 - Carrefour Is Rumored to Being Bought by Amazon According to French publication, "Les Echos", Carrefour share had the largest increase of the CAC 40 ((Cotation Assistée en Continu), a benchmark French stock market index) on Tuesday, an increase of 3.45% to €17.09. This revaluation follows a…

Global Retail Intelligence – August

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: August 28 – Nordic Retailer, H&M Launches New Store, Arket The first Arket store that features fashion and home products opened in London on Regent Street and the company has launched the online store. Additional store openings are planned for Copenhagen, Brussels and Munich. From Business…

Stats: How Housewares Fare in Home Trends

You know what is selling in your store, but do you know how home products are faring overall? Those smart folks at The NPD Group tallied up their data for last year and the results give a snapshot of the U.S. housewares economy. Here’s a look at what happened around the home in 2016. In the kitchen: Coffee/espresso is the biggest kitchen appliance category with…

Trends: Brick and Mortar Stands Up to Online

While a vast majority of Americans are now online shoppers, a new survey finds that those same customers also seek out brick-and-mortar stores. According to the survey from the Pew Research Center, some 8-in-10 Americans shop online, compared to a similar study done in June 2000 when just 22 percent of Americans had made a purchase online. Still, the study found that…

Retail Profile: Thyme in the Kitchen

Thyme in the Kitchen may be tucked into a historic, Westside neighborhood in Evansville, Ind., but the store pulls in visitors from all over, many of whom are on their way to cities like Nashville some two hours away. The reason? Eye-catching billboards posted along major highways around Evansville, which though a lovely place, is not typically thought of as a destination…

Global Retail Intelligence – July

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: July 27 - Wal-Mart de Mexico Net Profit Rises on Higher Sales, Lower Costs Mexico’s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB, said Thursday that its net profit increased 15% in the second quarter as higher sales combined with lower costs and expenses. From The Wall Street Journal July 26 - Amazon…

IHA Members Travel to Mexico to Meet with Key Retailers

Twelve IHA member companies traveled to Mexico to take part in a trade mission to Mexico City and Monterrey in June. The 2017 Trade Mission was a repeat of one held in August of 2016. This year, representatives from the following companies took part: Bodum, Eparé, Equator Appliances, Innova Products, Jascor Housewares, The Legacy Companies, MadeSmart Housewares, Maspion…

Global Retail Intelligence – June

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: June 29 - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is raising its bet on populous Southeast Asia, a region that is home to more than 600 million consumers. The Chinese internet giant said Wednesday it is plowing an additional $1 billion into Southeast Asia e-commerce firm Lazada Group, raising its stake to 83% from 51%.…