Mar 10, 2015

Housewares and giftware ‘coming together’ at Home + Housewares Show in Chicago

As the retail and supplier communities search for ways to engage and inspire consumers, the convergence of housewares and giftware products will continue and likely increase in the years ahead, according to a panel of retailers and suppliers at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. The group spoke during the keynote presentation, “How Housewares and Giftware Are Coming Together … And Loving It” on Sunday, March 8.

Owned and operated by the International Housewares Association (www.housewares.org), the Show is being held March 7-10 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and features more than 2,100 exhibitors and over 60,000 total attendees from more than 125 countries.

The panel included gift retailer Mary Liz Curtin of Leon & LuLu; gift industry veteran and supplier Gary Schermann of Creative Co-Op; housewares designer Sid Ramnarace of Savora/Lifetime Brands, Inc.; and housewares retailer Martha Nading of The Extra Ingredient, Inc. Warren Shoulberg, editorial director of Gifts & Decorative Accessories and HFN, served as moderator.

According to Shoulberg, the convergence of housewares and giftware is relatively new, but research from Gifts & Decorative Accessories indicates that stores that sell housewares are growing their gift businesses and vice versa.

“Anything you can wrap and put a bow on are gifts to us,” said Curtin. “Housewares fit that bill perfectly. They must be good-looking, well-designed, and if they’re amusing, that’s even better.” Top sellers in her Detroit destination lifestyle store include interesting peelers, pot lids, dishtowels, soaps and candles.

“Anything in my store can be a gift,” said Nading, who sells housewares, tabletop, giftware and gourmet foods in Greensboro, North Carolina. “But the large majority of housewares are more serious, and giftware allows us the opportunity to have some fun. And as a general rule, it gives us a better margin.”

There’s also been movement on the supplier side to elevate the design of traditional housewares products into products that feel more like a gift than a functional staple.

“For Lifetime Brands, there was an opportunity to go from simply offering commodity items — my can opener broke and I need to buy a new one — to offering items that people can have an emotional connection to. And that’s something special,” said Ramnarace. Lifetime’s Savora line offers everyday products with high-end, sophisticated design; the line’s top seller is a stainless steel colander that many use as a table centerpiece.

Another contributing factor in the convergence of housewares and giftware is “the context is different now that it’s not just about cooking, it’s about entertaining,” said Ramnarace. “We all want to cook,” agreed Nading, “but often times, what we really do is assemble it.” That opens the door for more and unique items to help prep and serve food and drinks, and decorative items for the kitchen, serving areas and tables.

The audio recording of the presentation will be available at http://www.housewares.org/kc/ed/15.aspx