C O N T E N T S 6
News A round-up of global news
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Spotlight On-the-go beverageware
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Retail interview We talk to independent UK shop La Cookshop
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Retail profile: An overview of awardwinning London kitchen chain Lords
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INTERNATIONAL
spotlight beverageware
Column: Retail Treat your ecommerce store like a whole new venture
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Feature: Coffee/Teaware What’s driving development and growth in this category at retail
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Feature: Bakeware From professional to giftable, this category offers retailers plenty of options
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Column: BHETA Why garden centres should be a target for manufacturers
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Feature: Tech in retail Experts discuss how housewares retailers are using innovative technical solutions
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Product focus: Preparation tools – what’s new and on offer
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Show: Chicago gia Three awardwinning global housewares stores COVER Supplied by Oxford Porcelanas. See website www.oxfordporcelanas.com.br/
KitchenWare INTERNATIONAL September/October 2017
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KitchenWare Stojo Answering demand for reusable cups that are less bulky, Stojo has introduced the patented Pocket Cup, a collapsible design that’s landed a spot in MoMA’s Design Store in New York. Available in six vibrant colours, it has a leak-proof lid with stopper allowing users to stow after use without rinsing, and comes with its own heat sleeve. Dishwasher/microwave-safe. https://stojo.com
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s 2017 heads toward the fourth quarter and the allimportant holiday selling season, consumers are continuing to search for housewares products that offer versatility and convenience, allow them to eat healthier, make it easier to cook and utilise smart technology. “The home industry [in the US] is in a growth phase for the next 5 to 10 years and it is the best growth phase since the 1970s,” says Joe Derochowski, home industry analyst for The NPD Group Inc. “In the nine weeks leading up to Christmas in 2016, no industry grew faster than housewares. It is a very hot industry and it is going to stay hot.” Joe noted US demographics are favourable for the housewares industry. “The life stages that are growing are hitting key moments, such as first marriage, first home, remodeling, retirement and empty nesters. Mathematically it is impossible for the industry not to grow,” he adds. In addition, he says the demographic groups that are growing are all interested in the three main trends influencing housewares sales – healthy eating, convenience and entertaining at home. And among the top nine growing housewares categories in terms of sales to date in 2017 are portable beverageware, a category we spotlight this month on page 10. Fuelled by the trend towards healthy living, along with convenience, this category was in fact “the top-selling category in the first six months of this year”, says Joe. It’s not the only category seeing sales soar. With professional coffee and tea brewing transcending the foodservice industry and consumers open to new brewing methods and different flavours, the coffee and teaware category is expanding, with consumers demanding products that help them create the sophisticated coffee and tea experience at
On-the-go growth With health and convenience top consumer trends today, portable beverageware is one of the best-performing kitchenware categories of 2017
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ccording to The NPD Group, portable beverageware is one of the top nine growing housewares categories in terms of sales in 2017. Fuelled by the trend toward healthy living, along with convenience, this category was, in fact, the top-selling category in the first six months this year, says Joe Derochowski, home industry analyst for The NPD Group. This was a trend spotted earlier in the year at Ambiente, with the Ambiente Trend Report 2017 reporting that with the mobility and sustainability trends continuing unabated “tea or coffee to go and special cups for water are both stylish and environmentally friendly”. In response to “the thermal beverageware market growing by 52 per cent since 2012”, says Gibson’s marketing manager, Roy Chung, Gibson has recently launched a new hydration line in Studio California by Laurie Gates. Featuring bold designs, the thermal bottles come in a variety of shapes and colours. 10 KITCHENWARE INTERNATIONAL
“It’s still a hot category but retailers need exciting new designs like the Karyfield collection to meet changing trends,” adds Roy. One of the newest products in this category is Lifetime Brands Inc.’s Built 178-oz Perfect Seal Bottle, a stainless steel, double-wall vacuum-sealed construction that helps maintain the temperature of cold beverages for up to 24 hours and hot beverages for up to 6 hours. While Joseph Joseph’s recently launched Dot Water Bottle features a hydration counting lid, the lid displaying a new dot each time you refill so you can easily keep count of the number of bottles you drink. Carley Knoblock, a smart home expert, notes that the portable beverageware category is becoming more competitive as companies embrace smart home technology. For example, she notes some hydration products now allow the consumer to connect the water bottle to a fitness tracker so consumers can monitor their daily water intake.
Black + Blum Black + Blum’s recently upgraded Eau Good bottle design uses hand-blown, thermal shock-resistant borosilicate glass, delivering the world’s first glass filter water bottle. Ergonomicallydesigned, this ecoconscious glass filter bottle comes in various colours. https://black-blum.com
Rig-Tig By Stelton The Keep-It Cool series by Rig-Tig consists of three items: lunchbox, cooler bag and water bottle. The water bottle features a heat sink in the bottom of the bottle that can be cooled in a freezer, and when screwed into the bottle, keeps the water cool for up to three hours. The bottle has a drinking cup at the top and a practical silicone band to seal the parts and comes in colour combinations. www.rig-tig.com
Gibson Overseas Gibson offers a lively refresh to hydration with its new Studio California by Laurie Gates Karyfield collection. Featuring large 27oz thermal bottles with a durable doublewall construction that maintains the temperature of the drinks, the collection features an eclectic mix of six assorted patterns and florals with either a glossy or matte finish. www.gibsonusa.com
Among the top nine growing housewares categories in terms of sales to date in 2017 is portable beverageware. See page 10
home. We find out what else is driving product development, and sales, in this category, and highlight the latest launches on page 18. Bakeware, too, continues to expand, moving into everything from male-focused product and professional items, to giftable pieces and, this issue, on page 24, we talk to four companies manufacturing bakeware to find out how the category is faring, what’s driving product development, and what new technologies are impacting the category. Both bakeware and portable beverageware are categories doing well for UK independent retailer La Cookshop, who we interview this month – see page 12. And, we profile award-winning London kitchenware multiple Lords about its locally-focused approach and excellence in customer service on page 14. Technology takes centrestage in our retail discussions this month – regular retail columnist, Ben Salmon, Kitchen a la Mode, discusses ways independent brick and mortar stores can make their ecommerce platform successful (page 16); while on page 30, three retail experts discuss practical examples on how leading global housewares stores are using innovative technical solutions in their stores to enhance the customer experience. Finally, following the announcement of the Tableware International Awards of Excellence 2018 last month, we are extending the entry deadline – until October 15 – for housewares manufacturers, brands or suppliers designing or producing tableware. Find out more, and enter, at tablewareinternationalawards.com.
Kate Birch
The Team EDITOR KATE BIRCH kate@lemapublishing.co.uk
PUBLISHER MARK NAISH mark@lemapublishing.co.uk
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR PAUL NAISH paul@lemapublishing.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER PAUL YEOMANS pyeomans@lemapublishing.co.uk
MANAGING DIRECTOR MALCOLM NAISH malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk
DESIGNER MARIAN MCNAMARA marian@lemapublishing.co.uk