Very, Very Fine Housewares

By all accounts, the fact that the 2016 International Home Housewares Show sold out by late December—more than 10 weeks before opening day—is positive sign. Furthermore, show producers say that that the topic of housewares remains front-and-center with retailers and consumers this year. 

The Windy City and McCormick Convention Center will once again play host to the show, which runs from March 5-8. More than 2,100 companies from around the world are expected to present their wares, including 400 companies exhibiting for the first time.

Officials at the International Housewares Association (IHA) say it is clear that supermarkets are fully embracing the value housewares offers their stores. “Customer-centric retailers recognize that they can be a resource for a broader range of their customers’ needs and have taken a solution-based approach to their housewares assortments,” says Perry Reynolds, vice president, global trade development for the Rosemont, Ill.-based association. 

The consumer, notes Reynolds, is responding positively to the efforts of those merchants that offer not just the ingredients, but also the tools to prepare their meals. “Supermarkets have a built-in opportunity that online retailers do not, based on their regular consumer visits, to boost their profit through sales of these higher margin home products,” he says. 

To further help supermarkets, IHA is partnering with GMDC on March 6 for a panel discussion on how retailers can turn more supermarket shoppers into housewares buyers.

Other show highlights include the New Exhibitor Preview, the Hall of Global Innovation, IHA Global Innovation Awards, the IHA Student Design Competition and Innovation Theater. 

“The International Home Housewares Show is the global showcase for all things for the home,” says Michael Silverman, senior vice president of marketing for Butler Home Products based in Hudson, Mass. “It is the ultimate place for retailers to see the best of the best in housewares and partner with the companies that exhibit there. It is an ideal venue to showcase a company’s newest product offerings and present it in the way suppliers envision it to be merchandised.”   

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

Big Time Products
Booth N6121

Big Time Products is a provider of hand protection in the cleaning, garden, hardware and automotive industries. Michele Rikard, director of marketing for the Rome, Ga.-based company, says its team of sourcing and design professionals worked hand-in-hand to develop products such as Soft Scrub cleaning gloves that are both comfortable and proactive in preventing the spread of germs; Digz garden gloves that are fashion forward and technologically savvy; and Rainbrella, which has provided retailers an opportunity to reimagine the standard rain center.

 “We attend the Housewares Show to support our retailers and partners, to strengthen existing relationships and to build on new ones. It is a domino effect—when we are able to provide our partners with new products, they are able to provide the consumer with products that they want and need,” says Rikard.

 Big Time Products will be featuring several new items at the show including Soft Scrub Latex Premium Fit and Premium Defense Gloves with water channeling cuffs. Rikard says these reusable gloves are treated with Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial protection. Available for the first time, the Digz line will feature several new items including men’s and women’s Honeycomb Grip Gloves and women’s Full Grain Goatskin Gloves. The Rainbrella brand will be adding three collections that are colorful, playful, sophisticated and ideal for the grocery and drug channels, notes Rikard. 

Bradshaw International
Booth S-1843

Bradshaw International recently acquired SHYE Worldwide, a Fullerton, Calif.-based maker of lunchboxes, tabletop products and food storage containers. Among the SHYE products that will be brought into the lineup under the GoodCook flagship brand will be Gourmet Solutions vented lid containers, Square Meals lunchbox sets and Sip-n-Snack drink and snack cups. 

 Other food storage solutions to be highlighted include a rigid, microwaveable container with color-coded, vented lids; a screw-on sealable and vented container system; lid-locking, bento style nesting containers; and vacuum disposable-type container assortments. Mike Rodrigue, CEO of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based Bradshaw, says that not only does the new variety nicely complement the kitchenware mix, its sharp price points will allow the company to more deeply penetrate this segment. “The demand for products such as these has grown. Look for more offerings from us in this area in the future,” he says.

Bradshaw’s flagship brand, GoodCook, will also be featured at the show. The company’s TOUCH high end line will continue to feature colorful accents that highlight the special benefits of each tool. A tabletop glassware program has also been added to the GoodCook line and includes essentials like syrup pourers, shakers and butter dishes.

 In addition, Bradshaw will be highlighting its ProFreshionals fruit, vegetable and seafood prep line, which has undergone a major update. Most tools now feature improved functionality, rubberized grips for handling in wet environments and embossed branding.

Butler Home Products
Booth N6500, N6700

Butler Home Products is best known for offering a wide range of housewares across several categories including cleaning tools, household gloves, lint rollers, household sponges and laundry accessories. The company will be showcasing several new products at the show. 

According to Silverman, many of the launches will be within the cleaning tool segment with re-designed and new products being introduced under every major brand. New launches will also be introduced in gloves, and the lint segment will continue its refresh with new patterns, packaging and promotions. Butler will also showcase new products within the sponge segment and continue with new promotions in the consumable category. The laundry segment will also see a large expansion in the Evercare brand. 

“We believe we have the unique ability to create first-class products, with first-class brands and winning promotions,” says Silverman. “Our retail partners have come to expect nothing less from us as a partner.”

Cool Gear International
Booth S1684, S1877

Cool Gear International is known for its vibrant approach to the hydration and housewares category through patented innovation, on-trend design and best-in-class packaging. With more than 250 patents, the Plymouth, Mass.-based company has a knack for finding what is missing in the industry and being first to market to fulfill those needs, says Maryann Stracuzzi, a social media specialist for the company, adding that “We take everyday items and turn them into a stylish accessory. 

“From exciting innovations, enhancements to popular product lines and an ever-growing licensed collection, the show provides a one-stop-shop for retailers to view the complete Cool Gear offering,” she says. 

Along with its new license with Margaritaville, Cool Gear will feature more than 10 Cool Gear branded hydration items, including a 16-ounce Stainless Steel Can, Split Infuser Bottle, 22-ounce Double Wall Iced Coffee Chiller and Coolgearpop—an 18-ounce double wall soda bottle with a twist-open top for easy filling and cleaning. 

Hanna’s Candle Co.
Booth S4164

Hanna’s Candle Co. will be featuring an extension of its newest product line, Aromabeads. The line extension features Aromabeads Singles wax melts, exclusively designed warmers for the Aromabeads Singles wax melts and coordinating candle fragrances in a recyclable multi-use vessel. Officials for the Fayetteville, Ark.-based company say Aromabeads’ innovative prill wax enhances the oxygenation to process the fragrance at a higher speed allowing the fragrance to quickly penetrate the room. Hanna’s offers a one-quarter pallet display with all 48 fragrances available in the Aromabeads Singles wax melts along with three exclusively designed melt warmers.

Burt Hanna, founder, says that one of his company’s strengths is that they employ all disciplines of candle making, from extrusion and pressing to pouring and molding, allowing them to make almost every candle imaginable. “We also have a fully integrated tool and die shop with CNC capability and 3D rendering software, which allows us to design and produce most of the equipment and tooling within our factory,” he says. 

Igloo Products Corp.
Booth S1678

Igloo Products Corp. has been a top cooler brand worldwide since 1947. As active participants in the cultures it serves, officials for the Katy, Texas-based company say Igloo’s designers have an uncanny ability to recognize unmet needs and serve up best-in-class solutions. 

According to Candi Whitsel, vice president marketing and product, this culture of innovation has led to an unparalleled history of firsts: the first water jug, the first personal cooler (the Playmate), the first soft-side cooler and the first wheeled cooler, among others.  

Igloo is carrying on this tradition with its Party Bar Powered by Liddup, a line of Cut & Sew coolers for women on the go and the Trailmate wheeled cooler. “Our Cut & Sew Day Tripper collection offers the ideal solution for urban dwellers who rely on public and pedal transportation,” says Whitsel. Available as a backpack or picnic tote—complete with cutting board and blanket—the Day Tripper provides everything needed for an adult afternoon at the park or beach. 

Wahl Clipper Corp.
Booth L12115

Wahl Clipper Corp. will be highlighting several of its latest products at the show. The first is its 9888 Lithium Ion Total Beard Trimmer. 

 Steve Yde, divisional vice president of the Sterling, Ill.-based company, says the inspiration behind the product was Millennials, who continue to embrace the beard. “Full on beards are all the rage, and with that one needs a full on beard trimmer,” says Yde. “This is the only beard trimmer with the power of lithium ion and individual guide combs from 1/8-inch to a full 1-inch in length.”

 According to Yde, the trimmer’s suggested retail price of $34.99 will also help drive category sales by upselling the standard $19.99 beard trimmers.

 Another new item is Wahl’s All in One Grooming Kit. “We are always looking for ways to bring new consumers into the electric grooming category and this kit fits that bill,” says Yde. Featuring a trimmer, mini foil shaver and nose trimmer, the kit was designed to help bridge the gap from the person just starting to toy with the idea of growing facial hair. 

Whink Products Co.
Booth N6821

This year marks Whink Products Co.’s 70th year in operation. According to Steve Throssel, president and CEO, the Whink sales team has been busy getting the 2016 programs in place.

The company’s newest programs are designed to give retailers and consumers significant cost savings through special price downs or multiple purchase discounts. “This allows the retailer to keep the ring higher while delivering a lower per-ounce cost to the consumer making it a win, win, win strategy,” says Throssel. 

Among the items Whink will be highlighting is an addition to its GameStain Remover line. The company has partnered with Mossy Oak, a high profile camo-clothing retailer, to sell its general purpose detergent designed for use in high efficiency washing machines. In addition, Whink will be featuring its Lime and Rust Stain Remover as a companion product to its brown bottle Rust Stain Remover. Throssel says that this product has a broader surface use than Whink’s rust specific products. 

“Our family-owned company has been attending the Housewares Show since its beginnings and are very pleased at the camaraderie of our fellow exhibitors and at the quality of the buyers and retail teams that walk the show,” says Throssel. “There is no one place where a retailer or a fellow vendor can go and see a full selection of products beyond what is presented at a headquarter’s call.”