Tabletop company Denby is moving into the cookware market with the launch of two collections at this month’s New York Tabletop Show. 

This “major new initiative” for the company includes a premium collection of cast iron and a line of ceramic oven-to-tableware that possess characteristic Denby shapes and bold, striking colors.

Meyer Corp.’s Anolon brand of cookware and kitchen products has returned as a sponsor to The New York Botanical Garden’s Edible Garden Cooking series, which communicates the importance of using garden-fresh ingredients in home cooking. Anolon is hosting a series of cooking demonstrations in the Family Garden Kitchen, which is fully equipped with Anolon gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, tools and gadgets.

By Jessica Goldbogen Harlan

Laundry storage manufacturers are thinking outside of the box –er, hamper- to come up with new options that are better looking, more functional and more space-efficient. As industry players head into the fourth quarter, they say that better-looking pieces and items that work well in small spaces are top of mind for shoppers.

Polder Housewares, for instance, is looking to target college students, apartment dwellers or single women with a mini drying rack that can sit in the tub or on a table or counter. It sells for $14.99.

By Allison Zisko

Sur La Table has nearly doubled its floor space dedicated to Joseph Joseph in its SoHo store here, and it showcased those displays, along with exclusive new Joseph Joseph products, at a recent press event.

The specialty retailer has partnered with the design-oriented housewares company since 2009, according to Cindy Payne, director of merchandising for cookware, cutlery and cook’s tools, “and they’re growing at an accelerated rate.”

“Our customer comes in for newness and innovation. Joseph Joseph delivers on that,” she said.

By Allison Zisko

The move of the Gourmet Housewares Show to its new home and time slot in New York has pleased several housewares vendors, some of whom believe its co-location with the New York International Gift Fair will deliver two-for-the-price-of-one benefits.

The Gourmet Housewares Show has been repositioned to run alongside the Gift Fair, which takes place Aug. 14-18 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Gourmet Show previously took place in May in various cities across the country, and was on hiatus last year.

 By David Gill

“Get ’em when they’re young” has apparently become an important marketing focus for manufacturers of electric oral-care products.

Recently, Water Pik, the Sonicare product line from Philips and the Oral-B line from Procter & Gamble debuted programs that combine launches of products geared specifically to kids with efforts directed at getting parents involved in their children’s oral care.

More than 2,100 exhibitors from 32 countries will reach out to international buyers at the 26th edition of the Hong Kong Houseware Fair scheduled for April 20-23.Sponsored by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the fair is expected to attract more than 25,000 buyers from 130 countries and regions. Buyers at last year’s show included representatives from QVC, Robinson Department Store, Z Gallerie and Home Solutions, according to show organizers.

The event will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in downtown Wanchia.

By Andrea Lillo

Now that it has merged with Anotech Intl. to become The Cookware Company, the company formerly known as GreenPan plans to go beyond ceramic cookware into other brands while retaining its sustainability mission.

“We were pioneers,” Wim De Veirman, CEO, told HFN at last month’s International Home + Housewares Show, speaking about its PFOA-free ceramic cookware, which debuted in the U.S. in 2007. But now, “we also want to go into other brands. We are more than ceramic cookware.”

Metrokane has paired up with PBS to become a sponsor of a new show launching this month.

By Allison Zisko

Ambiente’s global reach, the window it provides into other cultures and cuisines, and its reputation as a trend incubator have cemented its position as one of the most important international shows for tabletop and housewares executives.

The trade fair, which takes place in Frankfurt, Germany Feb. 11-15, has grown as an international event in the housewares category, and has evolved as a critical platform for both tabletop and housewares vendors eager to expand globally.

By David Gill

New messages and new media have become part of the marketing menu for the floor-care industry.

This year, two of the industry’s biggest brands, Bissell and Hoover, have expanded their marketing efforts to include social media, cause marketing, direct-response television (DRTV) and other non-traditional methods.

In April, Hoover launched a comprehensive marketing campaign that integrates social networks, cause efforts, DRTV and national television advertising. The social-media component includes platforms on both Facebook and Twitter.

MADISON, Wis.—Spectrum Brands, parent company of the Remington shaver brand, has signed an agreement with British shaving brand King of Shaves to expand King of Shaves’ distribution to the United States and Canada.

KEWASKUM, Wis.—Employees at Regal Ware have raised nearly $7,000 and 2,900 pounds of food for two local food pantries.

The company divided employees into eight teams, which then held a friendly competition to raise the most funds and collect the most food. The pantries were the Kewaskum Community Food Pantry here and the Full Shelf Food Pantry in the nearby community of West Bend. Regal Ware owns and operates manufacturing and office facilities in both communities.

By David Gill

Americans are allowing their floors to go bare, and floor-care manufacturers have responded.

The nation’s homeowners have turned away from the time when wall-to-wall carpeting was king. In many recently built homes, bare floors have become popular not only in kitchens and bathrooms; many homeowners have chosen to leave their living-room, great-room and family-room floors exposed—or featuring only an area rug, rather than totally covered with carpet.

Dyson

Jarden looks to grow in health and wellness products with a mass strategy

By David Gill

Jarden Consumer Solutions is looking to achieve the same clout in the health and wellness category as it has in cooking products.

By David Gill

What The Economist Magazine referred to as “the tablet of hope” is opening the door to new opportunities in the consumer-electronics market.

Unveiled in January, the iPad, Apple’s new tablet computer, has created a new market for accessories. Like its predecessor launches—the iPod, the iPhone—and with non-Apple products such as Blackberries and smart phones, manufacturers have rapidly come to market with a variety of products designed to enhance the experience of owning an iPad.

By Andrea Lillo

With half of the world’s population reachable within a five-hour plane ride from this city, last month’s Hong Kong Houseware Fair offered attendees an opportunity to interact with a broad range of international exhibitors. While that may be the case with other Asian shows, the Hong Kong Houseware Fair differentiates itself by concentrating on design and the higher-end market.

By Duke Ratliff

Give the people what they want.

That’s the goal of stick-good manufacturers as they respond to consumers’ evolving needs during a trying economic environment. Efficiency and ease of use continue to drive the category, but recent introductions in the category address consumer trends such as creating a healthy home and the combination of value and low prices.

By David Gill

By David Gill

Since becoming president of Panasonic Home & Health Co. in January, Dan Silver’s goal is to make his company’s name as big in housewares as it is in consumer electronics.

With that philosophy, Silver said the company is looking for double-digit sales growth in housewares, including shavers, microwaves and massage chairs.

Silver’s appointment put him in charge of the home-appliance group (microwaves, irons and vacuums), wellness group (massage chairs, shavers and beauty products) and home-environment group (ventilation fans).

Outset

As the green movement continues to grow, Outset has expanded its products in the Verde Series, a collection of barbecue tools made of 100 percent sustainable materials, including the packaging. The flexible griddle spatula is one of its most popular tools in other Outset tool collections, and so the company added one to the Verde line. It has a flex performance that helps maneuver even delicate, hard-to-flip foods, and it’s made of farm-raised bamboo and recycled stainless steel. outsetinc.com

Fiduz-Design

By Andrea Lillo

Proving to be two of the stronger performing categories during the recession, both cookware and bakeware saw plenty of newness at the recent International Home + Housewares Show. Here is a roundup of what was seen in both categories. 

Bakeware
As consumers turn to the comfort of baked goods in this economy, manufacturers turned to more bakeware at the Housewares Show, either expanding existing collections or getting into the category for the first time. 

“Bringing speed to market” is the goal behind one of Epilady’s product launches at the International Home + Housewares Show.

In introducing the Epilady Speed epilator, the company partnered in a license agreement with NASCAR driver Kristin Bumbera, who will serve as the face for the new product as Epilady targets the age 15-25 demographic.

East met West with sharp results in the Zwilling J.A. Henckels booth during the recent International Home + Housewares Show.

Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto hailed the cutting benefits of the Morimoto Edition of the Miyabi line from Zwilling, usually associated with European-style cutlery.

The new Marinex Facilita Square Storage Bowls from Lancaster Colony Commercial Products are the newest additions to its Marinex line.

The new square bowls have BPA-free lids, which are available in pink, blue, purple, teal and white.

“These Marinex square bowls are made of tempered glass and go from the microwave, freezer or refrigerator to the table,” said Vivian Khan, director of retail sales. “When not in use, the three sizes—along with their lids—nest inside each other for a space-saving solution.”

Butler Home Products has a long relationship with Mr. Clean and Dawn, two names it has long licensed from Procter & Gamble and used to build sales in the stick-goods category. Now the Marlborough, Mass.-based company is adding products to its line to reach different demographics and give existing customers more to consider. 

One thing humidifiers are not known for is being fashionable. But Essick has turned that thinking upside down with the EP9 500 Pedestal, its new humidifier which was formally launched during the International Home + Housewares Show.

The Pedestal is made with a plastic that is formulated to resemble mahogany. “With a top that has a marble finish, this unit looks like furniture,” said Mark Ulrey, director of sales for Essick. The top can be covered with any standard, 12-by-12-inch tile to fit the room’s decor.

By Warren Shoulberg

Like many young people just starting out in their careers, Les Mandelbaum and Paul Rowan had lots of ideas and dreams about what they wanted to do.
But unlike most of those people, these two turned those ideas and dreams into a real company that, 30 years later, is recognized as one of the most creative forces in the home furnishings business.

How fitting that Umbra in Latin means shade—the company’s first product. In a way, this is a business that is made by a shade.

By David Gill

Now that the housewares industry has weathered the economy’s perfect storm of the past two years, industry executives are in an optimistic mood as the International Home + Housewares Show gets set to open.

As executives have noted, bad economic times can be something of a boon to the market.

By David Gill
The displays of floor-care products at Home Depot and Lowe’s may be modest when compared to its core products such as power drills, but both home centers present a range of items to draw at least some attention from passing shoppers.

Used by professionals for years, the Waring Professional Drink Mixer is now available to the public. Part of the brand’s PDM series, this product creates milkshakes and healthy drinks such as yogurt shakes with wheat germ and fresh fruit. The Professional Drink Mixer comes with a two-speed motor with a chrome-plated motor cover. It features a single-spindle mixer with a 24-ounce, stainless steel mixing cup, which makes one serving at a time. It also comes in Quite White, Chili Red, Retro Green (pictured here) and Ebony colors.

The holidays mean parties, of course, and Jarden Consumer Solutions is positioning its Margaritaville family of products as the answer to any party giver’s question about what drinks to serve. Pictured here is the Margaritaville Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker, which creates a variety of frozen tropical drinks.The Tahiti comes with three separate 24-ounce blending jars, thus enabling the user to make multiple frozen drinks at the same time. It also features a rotating ice chute, designed to shave the perfect amount of ice for each jar.

By David Gill
It’s not your typical gift item—few people expect to find a vacuum or steam mop under their Christmas trees, but the holidays are an important selling season for this category, according to executives in the industry.
To some executives, it’s a matter of rising store traffic.

Progressive International

By Andrea Lillo
Life begins at 40—for bacteria at least. The food industry says bacteria only need temperatures of 40 degrees and warmer to start multiplying. And getting rid of or preventing bacteria during cooking and storing has been a growing concern for consumers, who are more aware about food safety issues with every food recall.
That’s where food thermometers come in. For this category, the back half of the year is when the bulk of the sales take place, manufacturers say, as consumers roast, make candy, and bake—and increasingly, give thermometers away as gifts.

By David Gill
Unlike in other personal-care products, there has been little or no decay in the market for power oral-care products.

Full Circle

By Andrea Lillo
Though not normally found on grocery shopping lists next to milk and tomato sauce, housewares products are nonetheless becoming a presence at the grocery channel. The cross-merchandising opportunities are almost endless. The convenience of picking up a spatula or a mixing bowl along with the ingredients for pancakes, for example, is unbeatable.
And, unlike with other retail channels, consumers typically visit the grocery store several times a week.

By David Gill
Housewares are a small but important part of the product offerings for most supermarket chains.
Visits to several supermarket locations in New Jersey revealed that the merchandising strategies differ greatly among the grocers.

By David Gill
Beginning with the margarita makers launched two years ago, the market for products that make or store and dispense alcoholic beverages has proliferated into an important niche within the small-electrics universe.
The margarita segment is now represented by products such as the Margaritaville line from Jarden Consumer Solutions and the Margarator from The Helman Group. Now, the concept of producing margaritas in one’s home has extended into products that make other cocktails, and that take proper care of beverages such as wine and beer.

By Andrea Lillo
Manufacturers are buckling down for the tough road ahead in 2009, and for many that means promoting product to entice consumers.
A bright spot is that consumers might be willing to spend at least a little, manufacturers said, as they do more cooking and entertaining at home.

By David Gill
After a 2008 that the industry would like to forget, manufacturers of floor-care products are using the ever-popular business catchphrase “cautiously optimistic” in describing their prospects for next year.
Not that the industry will automatically shift from reverse to high gear after Jan. 1, but the feelings among vendor executives are that their sales will edge upward next year. In addition, opportunities have emerged for strong growth in certain segments and price points.

By Andrea Lillo
Bringing innovation to the grilling category has been Companion Products’ mantra since its first product, a cylindrical charcoal starter with a handle.

By Allison Zisko
NEW YORK–Anxious to snag a piece of the growing American cutlery market, European vendors who want to break into the business here are eyeing opportunities in the premium price-point range.

NEW YORK–With the International Home & Housewares Show now over, and so many products being introduced there, here is a selection of what a few companies debuted at the show, across all housewares categories. Green was a keen theme, as was convenience and entertaining. A number of companies also used the show to introduce—or reintroduce—their companies themselves to attendees.

By Andrea Lillo
NEW YORK–With all the talk on using natural elements in the home, people are turning to clay for the kitchen, in both cookware and bakeware.
At the recent International Home & Housewares Show, several manufacturers debuted their new collections using this earthy component or expanded existing lines.