retail

2017 gia Global Honoree – Green with Envy

Michelle Hespe speaks to Nicole Ward, Founder and Owner of the New Zealand gia Global Honoree award winning retailer, Green with Envy. When people visit New Zealand, or meet New Zealanders, many comment that the country and the people are so warm and welcoming. That the place and its people are down-to-earth. There’s a true sense of caring and connectedness in this small…

2017 gia Global Honoree – Loft

Michelle Hespe speaks to Mr. Satoru Iimura, Executive Director of Loft — a chain of retail stores in Japan that became one of the five Global Honorees at this year’s IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) at Chicago’s International Home + Housewares Show. Loft was celebrating more than its gia win in Chicago this year. “2017 marks 30 years since the first Loft store opened in…

Global Retail Intelligence – May

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: May 19 – Alibaba Delivers Yet Another Year of Powerful Growth China’s vast ranks of consumers are finding ways to spend more money online — and that’s good news for Alibaba. The Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant that a few years ago led the biggest share listing in the history of the American stock…

2017 gia Global Honoree – Borough Kitchen

Michelle Hespe catches up with two Canadian friends who have managed to create a passionate retail-based community, Borough Kitchen, that all started within London’s Borough Market, with cooking and homewares firmly at its heart. Taking the step from being successful bankers to the owners of a happening kitchen retailer in a thousand-year-old London food market doesn’t seem…

2017 gia Global Honoree – Potten & Pannen – Staněk

Michelle Hespe catches up with one of the five 2017 gia global honorees, Pavel Staněk—Co-founder and President of the highly innovative Potten & Pannen – Staněk in the Czech Republic. The gia Global Honoree award-winning Potten & Pannen store is a KitchenAid concept store and a gourmet cooking academy based in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. “Our grounding…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: April 28 – Soriana (Mexico) See Solid Growth in Q1 Soriana presented positive results during the first quarter of 2017. Its revenues were 35,248 million pesos, equivalent to a growth of 1.3% compared to the same period in 2016 when it had revenues of 34.793 million pesos. This increase was driven mainly by…

2017 gia Global Honorees for Retail Excellence Announced

The International Home + Housewares Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, today announced the 2017 gia Global Honorees for Retail Excellence. The Global Honorees are: Potten & Pannen – Staněk - Czech Republic (KitchenAid Concept Store & Gourmet…

Global Retail Intelligence – March

To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world: March 31 – Amazon in Australia Not the End of Retail There After months of teasing, Amazon will reportedly “greatly expand” its online offer in Australia over the next year. The move has been predicted to “decimate retailing as we know it”, but the sky will not fall in. Shopping centres won’t close and…

Philippines Market Visit

IHA Staff recently made a market visit to the Philippines in preparation for the planned November 2017 trade mission to that country. The visit included meeting with key importers and distributors, meeting with relevant key major chain retailers and touring multi-chain retailers and malls to better understand the market. The United States is among the Philippines’ top trading…