Take the long way home

This year’s International Home Housewares Show adds an exhibitor preview and, as always, the latest product offerings.   

There will be new blood in the aisles at The International Housewares Association’s (IHA) 2015 International Home Housewares Show.

The event takes place at McCormick Place in Chicago from March 7–10 and Perry Reynolds, vice president of global trade development for IHA, says of the 2,100 exhibitors, 450 are new to the show. He adds that this year’s show sold out early, and he expects a total of more than 61,000 attendees. 

It is always a challenge for new exhibitors to get the attention of busy buyers, and it is difficult for buyers to see everything, even with the fourth day the IHA added to the show in 2012. So this year attendees will be able to start early with the debut of the New Exhibitor Preview on Saturday morning at 8:30. Reynolds says the additional event gives buyers a chance to meet new exhibitors in a separate, smaller area before the exhibitor hall opens at 10 AM.

“These are 60 handpicked new exhibitors,” says Reynolds. “They will also be on the regular show floor but they are likely to be in booths that the buyers will miss if they are speed walking. This way they have an hour and a half, and we buy them a cup of coffee.”

For all exhibitors, certain trends are creating opportunities for the housewares business. For example, there has been a movement to merge housewares with gifts. Housewares have always been giftable, Reynolds says, and retailers are successfully merchandising gifts with housewares. Other trends include the increase of automation in the home, Millennials cooking healthful foods and Baby Boomers buying high-quality cooking tools. Home organization is also big, as is coffee making at home.

Here is a small sampling of exhibitors and what they offer:

Big Time Products Booth N7750 www.bigtimeproducts.net

Big Time Products is showing its food-handling product Elegant Fare, extra-long white nitrile FDA-approved gloves for all food applications. “Elegant Fare continues on the advanced cooking techniques and popular food shows to lift the status of cooking results using high quality gloves,” says Tim Stapleton, president, U.S. sales for the Rome, Ga.-based company.

Big Time is also featuring the Kitchen/Bath 2-pack of multicolor pairs of gloves. The different colors can help the user avoid cross-contamination, as one pair of gloves is for the bathroom and one for the kitchen. The 2-pair packaging offers value for the consumer, who can tackle two chores with one item, and shelf optimization for the retailer, says Stapleton.

Also, Big Time has its Rainbrella brand of umbrellas. “Rainbrella has a value impulse strategy with quality umbrellas in a quick setup display of product to provide excellent weather protection,” he says. 

Bradshaw International Booths S1639, S1836, S1843 www.goodcook.com

Bradshaw International unveils several products from its Good Cook line.

The Air Perfect bakeware line now has nine SKUs, with the addition of a 9-inch Round Cake and Square Cake, a 5x9-inch Loaf Pan, a 12-cup Muffin, 24-cup Mini Muffin, 9x13-inch Baking Pan and a 16-inch Pizza Crisper.

The ProFreshionals collection of produce prepping gadgets now encompasses 16 SKUs, including a Mini Citrus Juicer, Watermelon Tap, Locking Salad Tongs and others. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based company has expanded its merchandising program with portable merchandisers that hang off the produce bins. Consumers can find avocado slicers in February, strawberry corers in May, peach wedgers in August and other produce helpers during the appropriate season.

The Good Cook microwave products line has added a Hot Cereal Cooker and a Rice Cooker to the assortment. The products are targeted to the student market, say company officials.  The Rice Cooker features a pressure lid that steam cooks the rice instantly in the microwave, and comes with its own rice spatula. The Cereal Cooker has the ergonomic thumb grip that is now a familiar feature on many of the Good Cook microwave products. All of the cookware is made with 30% thermoset polyester material and is BPA free.

The Sweet Creations line, a baking/crafting/gifting brand, now has products to celebrate every major holiday of the year, say officials. Among the new offerings is the Ugly Sweater Cookie Cutter, which includes a rolling tool so the consumer can bake and decorate the cookies for Christmas.

The TOUCH brand of higher end tools and gadgets adds a Salad Dressing Shaker, which uses a stationary wand that acts as a whip to emulsify herbs and spices while the bottle is shaken. Also new in the TOUCH line is a Vegetable Steamer with a telescoping handle, designed to keep hands away from the hot steam while removing items from the pot. The more classic Measuring Scoop Set was re-imagined and now features easy-to-read, color-coded graphics. 

Butler Home Products Booths N6500, N6700 www.cleanerhomeliving.com

Butler Home Products features several products, from several different brands, designed to make it easier for consumers to keep their homes clean. Dawn Luxe Premium Latex Free Gloves have a plush lining that releases moisturizer onto hands. On the sponge side, Dawn has Non-Scratch Scrubber Sponges that are wrapped in nylon mesh material for use on nonstick pans. There is also a Mr. Clean Cellulose Extra Large scrubber sponge for heavy duty cleaning such as a bathtub, furniture or car wheels. “It is beefier than a kitchen sponge, for more surface area to clean,” says Michael Silverman, senior vice president of marketing for the Marlborough, Mass.-based company. The Clorox brand has a new sponge, toilet brush, plungers and scrub brushes, all with the Clorox enhanced antimicrobial agent.

In laundry accessories Butler offers a range of Gain brand fine washable bags, laundry bags, hamper sorters and drying racks, all in fun, bright colors, say company officials. Also new is a lint roller with the original scent of Gain.

Lint rollers are a new category for Butler, which took over the Evercare brand in 2014. “Everything is revamped, with all new handles, all new packaging and a whole new identity for the Evercare brand,” says Silverman. The line features home rollers to use on furniture and drapes and garment rollers to use on clothing.

These products answer an overarching consumer trend across all categories, says Silverman. “People are looking for products that live up to the promise they are making, do the job they say they are going to do and are priced right,” he says. “People don’t want a gimmick.” 

Cool Gear International Booth S1877 www.coolgearinc.com   

Cool Gear International officials say they responded to the growing trend of consumers personalizing their water. “We pride ourselves on making products that meet our customers’ lifestyles and personalities,” says Donna Roth, president and co-founder of the Plymouth, Mass.-based company. “We are always watching our customers and identifying innovative ways to make their lives better through hydration and food storage solutions.”

Cool Gear is introducing Aquaburst, a flavor infusing hydration bottle that allows the user to flavor water all day with fresh juice, fruit concentrate or liquid enhancers at the push of a button. Flavored waters are very on-trend now, says Roth, as is customization.

Cool Gear also makes food storage products, and plans to launch more products soon. In January, Katy, Texas-based Igloo Products Corp. announced it had purchased Cool Gear, and that the combined company “will not only be a market leader in the storage of food and beverages, but will also enjoy one of the most robust portfolios of intellectual property in the space,” according to Igloo officials.

IdeaVillage Products Corp. Booth S2057 www.ideavillage.com

The snacking category has grown significantly and people want to carry their own snacks and beverages with them, says Ronald J. Boger, president and COO of IdeaVillage Products Corp. Those trends contribute to the success of the company’s Snackeez line of all-in-one beverage container and snack holder, he adds. The Wayne, N.J. company, which specializes in the As Seen On TV category, offers new styles of Snackeez and new versions of Snackeez Jr.

“Parents are more concerned with what their kids are snacking on,” says Boger. “They want them to go for healthy snacks, and they want a device that gives them portability with one hand, and keeps the other hand free.”

New Snackeez Jr. items include Frozen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Minions and Star Wars licensed products.

Also new is Snackeez Duos, disposable sets of Snackeez. The 20-piece set consists of 10 cups and 10 snack trays. “That’s going to be absolutely perfect for snacking on the go, parties, tailgating and birthday celebrations,” says Boger.

In home storage, Idea Village offers Hamper Hoops, a basketball hoop and backboard that hangs on a door, with a laundry hamper underneath. Instead of leaving dirty clothes all over the bedroom floor, the child or teen can ball up the item and throw it into the hoop, says Boger, adding “It is a great problem solution for parents, for an unending challenge.”

In personal care products, the company offers the Micro Touch Tough Blade, a three-blade shaver that is endorsed by former NFL quarterback Brett Favre. The product includes long-lasting refill cartridges. For women there is the Finishing Touch Yes, an all-in-one, pain-free, instant hair remover that Boger says is suitable for head to toe use; it is endorsed by actress Fran Drescher.

Ignite USA Booth S4843 www.GoContigo.com

Contigo, a brand of Chicago-based Ignite USA, is trying to make it easier for consumers to drink a beverage without spilling it. The company produces water bottles, travel mugs and kids’ bottles with anti-spill technology.

New this year is the AUTOSEAL Cortland water bottle, which Contigo describes as a spill-free, travel-friendly hydration solution for consumers’ active lifestyles. The patented AUTOSEAL lid automatically seals between sips to eliminate spills and leaks, and the bottle boasts easy, one-handed use with no caps or spouts to remove, say company officials. There is a carry clip, and officials add that the bottle does not have plastic odor or taste because it is made with FDA-approved, BPA-free Tritan materials. The 24-ounce bottle should fit most car cup holders.

Contigo also features the SnapSeal travel mug collection. The line features a one-piece, leak-proof lid designed for quick cleaning and easy, one-handed operation. The user pushes up the SnapSeal tab, opening a reservoir to access the mug’s contents, then after drinking, snaps the SnapSeal tab down to seal the lid again. The SnapSeal travel mug line is available in double-wall vacuum insulated stainless steel in 16- and 20-ounces in several colors, and a 16-ounce double-wall insulated plastic in several colors.

Contigo will also feature the AUTOCLOSE Shake & Go Tumbler, for people who like to add drops or mixes to their water. The product is designed to evenly distribute flavor enhancers and quickly and evenly cool down iced beverages. It features a trap door design that snaps shut when the straw is removed to ensure 100% leak-proof shaking and mixing. The Shake & Go Tumbler is available in a 16- and 20-ounce double wall constructed of Tritan.

InvenTel Booth N6135 www.InvenTel.tv

InvenTel is featuring Magic Finder, a fast and easy way to find lost items, say company officials. Magic Finder works with a free app designed to help consumers find their keys, wallet, purse or other items. The Magic Finder app uses radar tracking to track the distance to the lost item, and activates an alarm to help the user find the item by sight and sound. There is also a button on the back of the Magic Finder to activate an alarm on the phone to help the consumer find it.

Stephanie Sierra, marketing director for the Rockaway N.J.-based InvenTel, says for a product to be successful in the As Seen On TV (ASOTV) space the item has to solve everyday problems. She adds that Magic Finder is one of the first electronic items that work with an app to be successfully marketed as an As Seen On TV product. That trend will continue to grow, says Sierra, as direct response TV (DRTV) marketers reach a broader customer base outside the traditional As Seen On TV demographic.

“There is no denying that web/digital marketing has had a huge impact on the ASOTV segment,” says Sierra. “As the number of consumers that go online or use mobile devices to shop continues to increase, we’ve already seen most DRTV marketers adopt a more multi- channeled approach to drive sales.”

Wahl Clipper Booth L12115 www.wahl.com

Most people never think about the shape of the hair follicle, but Wahl Clipper does. Thus, the Sterling, Ill.-based company updated its line of products targeted to the African-American audience. African-American hair is ribbon shaped instead of round or oval, says marketing director Steve Yde. This can cause a close-shaved hair to curl back into the skin and get caught in a neighboring pore. “That causes irritation, especially with the bald look, or stubble look on the head which is very popular,” he says. To solve this, Wahl Clipper is launching the Ultra Close Cut Pro, which provides a close shave without overlapping blades.

The company also offers its Wahl Lithium Ion Beard and Body Head to Toe Grooming System featuring a dual foil shaver. “It is kind of a hybrid product,” says Yde. “It mixes body grooming, face shaving and body trimming. It is a top of line product.”

Wahl also makes massage products designed to focus on pain relief instead of relaxation. The Hot-Cold Massage Spot Therapy Vibrating Gel Pack is a miniature version of a massager that Wahl launched last year. The new product is designed for knees, wrists, ankles and other areas. The massager contains ceramic beads that stay hot or cold longer than gel alone. A separate Ceramic and Gel Pack is available too. Other new gel packs include the XL Hot-Cold Pack, an oversized, wrap-around pack for back pain.

Whink Products Co.  Booth N6821 www.whink.com

Whink Products Co. presents its Game Stain Remover, a laundry pre-wash that is designed for hunters and fishers. The new product addresses these hobbyists’ special challenge in cleaning blood and other fluids from their clothing. Steve Throssel, president and CEO of Eldora, Iowa-based Whink, says Game Stain Remover uses borax and special enzymes. “That prevents you from having to wash the garment a second time,” he says.

The product is also unscented. “Deer can smell pretty well,” says Throssel. “Hunters like to have an edge just like golfers do.” He adds that the timing of the launch is good as grocery stores, especially in areas of hunting-related tourism, are looking at products now for the fall. Game Stain Remover is packaged in a camouflage bottle with a distinctive red cap. Whink offers hunting-related displays and panels for merchandising.

Whink also features Septic Treatment, three-count pouches with state-of-the-art enzymes. These are also available in a display as well as shelf stock, for counties where residents have septic systems instead of regular sewage lines.