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Thursday, March 13, 2008

HOUSEWARES SHOW DRAWS RECORD ATTENDANCE

Retailer registration at the 2008 International Home + Housewares Show set a record this year with an overall growth of 6.5 percent. Total registration at the show, held March 16-18 in Chicago, was more than 61,700, including 23,000 buyers and 2,000 exhibitors from more than 34 countries.

Once again this year, there was a sharp increase in U.S. independent specialty retailers with 75 percent of the U.S. retail buyers coming from specialty retailers.

“We are pleased to report these outstanding results,” says Phil Brandl, president of the International Housewares Association (IHA), which owns and operates the show. “In contrast to other economic news, we were pleased to see the optimism and energy among show exhibitors and attendees. Based on their input, this bodes well for the industry’s immediate future.”

Highlights of the Housewares Show included an industry breakfast with former presidential Press Secretary and TV personality Tony Snow. Celebrity cook Paula Deen gave a keynote address on Sunday morning and color specialist Lee Eiseman outlined the major trends in color and style during a session on Monday.

In addition, the Housewares Charity Foundation raised approximately $1.7 million at its 11th Annual Gala, held on Monday, March 17. More than 700 people attended the gala, which also honored a veteran housewares supplier and two retail champions for their philanthropy and leadership in the housewares industry. The gala benefited The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the HCF’s legacy charity, and America’s Second Harvest.

On display at the show were hundreds of new products, many of them highlighting the major trends in the housewares industry. Perhaps the biggest trend is the green movement, which was evident in many product introductions. But Americans also want to eat better, improve their home environment and escape to the great outdoors, and products were on display to capitalize on those trends.

“Time has shown that when growth of the U.S. economy slows, consumer spending on housewares remains steady,” says Brandl. “While there is probably less spending overall, consumers tend to focus their remaining purchases on home products, especially as they stay at home and ‘feather the nest.’”