Tokyu Hands
Retail GIA
3 of the best… global kitchen retailers We spotlight three of the 27 outstanding home and homewares retailers that were 2017-2018 IHA gia winners
Japan Tokyu Hands One of the leading retailers in Japan with 75 stores in Japan and three in Singapore, Tokyu Hands carries fashion and interiors, but household items are its main category. Customers range from teens to seniors. Tokyu Hands’ buyers think deeply about what their customer wants before selecting products. The sales staff is highly skilled and knowledgeable. www.tokyu-hands.co.jp
Jon Jesse
Recognising retail excellence
Royal Design Helsingborg
With applications for the Global Innovation Awards (gia) 2018-2019 well underway, we discover how housewares retailing is faring and find out how the gia programme can help your retail business
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ntries from housewares retailers all over the world are surging in for the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) 2018-2019 programme, the results of which will be unveiled during IH+HS Chicago in March 2019. Aimed at recognising excellence in housewares retailing, we talk to Jon Jesse, VP industry development at the International Housewares Association (IHA), organisers of gia, about the programme and the current landscape of housewares retailing. Why is gia so important? What makes gia so special is that it truly is a global awards programme, bringing together housewares retailers from around the world. This means gia provides housewares retailers with unique learning and networking opportunities: the national gia winners visiting the Show are able to meet with, and learn from, the other national winners – and, the Show gets the opportunity to showcase innovation and excellence in housewares retailing and share the best examples from around the world to all of the visitors and exhibitors at the Show. Since the launch of gia in 2000, there have been over 400 gia retail award winners, from 47 countries on six continents. These are significant numbers – and include enormous amounts of housewares industry expertise, inspiration, ideas and innovation.
How have you seen the global housewares retail scene change? According to the gia Expert Jurors, a lot of the stores selling home and housewares no longer just sell products – they now offer experiences to consumers, through unique service concepts, inspiring displays and promotions. Also, especially in the past couple of years, we’ve seen stores that have become important “community outposts" through their social media networks, and the special campaigns and events they organise. Also, many of the winning gia retailers now excel in both traditional brick and mortar retailing and online retailing – many times combining the two by offering innovative service solutions for in-store online purchases and such. With the retail landscape continuing to be challenging, how can being a part of the gia programme help? Participating in gia is a great overall learning process. Every year the new gia winners tell us how working on the requested information and materials really made them take a close look at their business – what they do right and what they still could do better, the look and feel of their store and all the processes and details. What is also seen as very beneficial are the various educational and benchmarking opportunities at the IH+HS in Chicago. Networking with the other gia retailers from around the world and the discussions and advice from the gia Expert jurors bring with them new ideas and inspiration – tools to further develop the business.
Also, winning the gia award means your store is globally recognised and rewarded for innovation and excellence – that your company belongs in the group of the best of the best in housewares retailing around the world. So, it’s a great encouragement and many times a door opener. What are some of the most inspiring ideas from gia retail winners? Every year there are unique ideas that impress the gia jury. A few examples include:: The Chopping Block in Chicago, which allows customers to navigate through their store with Google Maps and Borough Kitchen in the UK has created great playlists and displayed them in the store so that people could keep on listening to them after their visit via Spotify. THE One in the UAE created business cards like theatre tickets – on the card it reads: Admit One. That’s telling people that they are going to be entertained by that business. Lords in the UK is a great storyteller – they use their stores and their staff to tell the story of the local area through photographs, artwork and shared knowledge of local things to do. Looking at visual merchandising and store design, all the winners of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Innovation in Visual Merchandising should be highlighted. Perhaps, the most unique is Loviisan Aitta, an 1898 barn in a remote area of Finland, which has been revived and beautifully restored leaving much of the original structure on view.
Sweden Royal Design Helsingborg Royal Design Helsingborg is a lifestyle store that manages to combine kitchenware, interior, furniture and design in a modern and innovative way. Visual merchandising, displays, signage and current promotions are professionally presented and, most importantly, inspire customers and make them want to shop. The retailer knows design and if a product is not in the store, staff will order it. www.royaldesign.se Pots & Paraphernalia
Canada Pots & Paraphernalia Thirty-six years ago, Terry Raven opened a retail store in the small town of Duncan, B.C. A trained artist, Terry understands composition and merchandising techniques, regularly creating breathtaking displays. Housed in a 5,000-sq-ft heritage building with soaring 40-fthigh ceilings, the store has a grand sweeping staircase where Terry’s keen sense of space and light has kept her loyal customers captivated and her staff inspired for decades. www.potsandparaphernalia.ca