Twenty-eight home and housewares retailers from 27 countries will be honored as part of the International Housewares Association’s annual Global Innovation Awards (gia). All retailers will be honored at the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago.
Launched in 2000, the gia program was created to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing across the globe, according to IHA officials. Since its launch, more than 370 retail award winners from 45 countries on six continents have been honored through the gia program
The 2016-2017 national gia winners are:
- Argentina: Jumbo
- Australia: LUC. Design
- Brazil: Doural Home & Design
- Canada: The Gourmet Warehouse
- China: Tayohya Corporation
- Colombia: Fabricas Unidas
- Denmark: Skagerak Denmark
- Eastern Europe: Potten & Pannen – Staněk KitchenAid Concept Store & Gourmet Academy
- France: Culinarion
- Germany: One Kitchen
- Greece: Parousiasi
- India: The Home Sukh
- Ireland: Stakelums
- Italy: Stile Event Store
- Japan: The Loft Co., Ltd.
- Middle East: Homes R US (United Arab Emirates)
- Netherlands: Kooklust 121
- New Zealand: Green with Envy
- Philippines: Rustan’s Supercenters
- Poland: Dajar sp. z.o.o
- Portugal: KROST
- Russia: Dreamhouse
- Spain: Culinarium
- Turkey: Bernardo
- UK: Borough Kitchen
- Uruguay: Amo Cocinar
- USA: Toque Blanche
- USA – Internet/Catalog: Amazon.com
The gia competition is structured on a two-tier level, national and global, to honor independent and multiple location home and housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories: Overall mission statement, vision and strategy, store design and layout, visual merchandising, displays and window displays, marketing, advertising and promotions, customer service and staff training innovation.
The national winners will be honored at an awards dinner on Saturday, March 18, where the gia Global Honorees and the winners of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising and the gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing will be announced.
The national winners also are featured in the gia showcase in the Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center Lobby, where visuals of their award-winning store design and branding ideas, visual merchandising and innovative displays are on display. Banners for the honored retailers can be seen in the walkway that connects the Grand Concourse and the Lakeside Center.
In addition, the IHA announced that Martin Pegler is retiring from full-time involvement in gia. He will continue to serve as an honorary member of the expert jury. Replacing Pegler on the jury will be Anne Kong, associate professor and former chairperson of the visual presentation and exhibition design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
