Housewares to Put Focus on Promotions

NEW YORK — Supermarket buyers at the upcoming International Home & Housewares Show will see a rejuvenated exhibit area for traffic-lifting continuity, seasonal, regional and in-and-out promotions, consumer incentives and custom merchandise, organizers said this month.

The exhibit area will be unified as Promotion in Motion and cover 20,000 square feet, the same as last year when these suppliers assembled at the show under the identity of the now-defunct Association of Retail Marketing Services.

At the McCormick Place event in Chicago on March 11-13, three enhancements should lift buyer exposure to the PIM area, Perry Reynolds, vice president, marketing and trade development, International Housewares Association, Rosemont, Ill., told SN:

• An adjacent area of new exhibitors.

• A free buyers' lunch area that's also adjacent.

• Booth dress that's consistent with the rest of the 780,000-square-foot show.

IHA was “a little more than halfway” toward reaching the Promotion in Motion footage target of exhibitor commitments last week, Reynolds said.

He said the association got a late start because former ARMS members first approached IHA in late summer-early fall seeking exhibit space. “We're aggressively promoting it beyond the traditional supermarket and chain drug base to attract mass and value chain buyers,” he added.

With the rest of the show sold out, IHA will open a new exhibitors' area adjacent to Promotion in Motion. It will represent every category of the show and, with PIM, will draw buyers seeking margin and image opportunities in products that may be relatively undiscovered.

IHA also decided this month to add another traffic inducer near PIM — a free buyers' lunch area, he said.

The PIM area will also look the same as the rest of the show floors, and will be open the same days and hours as the rest of the show, Reynolds added.

PIM will be “a welcome destination for all retailers who are focused on increasing their customer loyalty,” said Phil Brandl, IHA president, in a prepared statement recently. “These new exhibitors will provide unique approaches to building shopping frequency.”

Meanwhile, at a preview event featuring 50 exhibitors here this month, a theme in evidence across several categories was safer, more comfortable living. For example: silicone tongs that stay cool to the touch; lightweight ceramic knives; long pan and pot handles for easier lifting and carrying, and more splatter-free distance; pots with side drainage; phones that amplify sound; and heaters and humidifiers with protective features. Since these trends spanned price ranges and weren't limited to high-end goods, supermarkets could appeal to aging baby boomers who'll pay for ergonomic and health benefits by merchandising such items.

These products include:

• Silicone tools

  A wide spatula (from iSi North America) is flexible and thin for easier turning, flipping, scraping and folding. Also, tongs (Kuhn Rikon) resist heat and have a slim design and textured bottoms.

• Ceramic knives

  Lightweight, sharper and more wear-resistant than steel (Tribest and Kyocera), cutting is easier and wrist-friendly. Non-reactive to corrosive juices, salts, acids and oils, blades neither rust nor affect food taste, appearance or smell.

• Safer cookware

  Popular among professional chefs, home cooks can now access the greater stability and splatter-free safety of long-handled pots and pans (Regal Ware).