HFN Staff Report
The International Housewares Association put its spotlight on housewares vendors with new and innovative product designs at last month’s Affordable Innovation event in New York.
Vendors displayed products that they have already launched or are about to debut in time for the upcoming holiday selling season at the event. Categories ranged from cookware to gadgets, storage items, cleaning products and tabletop merchandise.
Among the new products, SodaStream made a splash with its first-ever electric soda maker, the Revolution, which features touch-button activation providing a choice of carbonation levels; a snap-and-lock mechanism to ease bottle insertion and removal; and an LED display indicating carbonation progress and carbon dioxide usage status. The company is gearing to have the Revolution at retail during this year’s fourth quarter.
Quickie presented its new HomePro line, which encompasses the HomePro Spill Collector, which resembles a dust pan and which cleans both dry and wet messes; the Bulldozer Super Stiff Landscaper’s Broom, which sweeps heavy-duty materials from outdoor surfaces such as bricks and patios; the HomePro Steam Mop, which steam-cleans hardwood floors; and the HomePro Tub ’n Tile Scrubber, which cleans bathroom surfaces at the push of a button. Among the items displayed by Contour Products were the Kabooti Comfort Ring, a three-in-one seat cushion pillow with corner stability lobes to improve seating balance and enhanced comfort.
Affero Systems made its company debut with countertop magnetic strip knife storage; the all-stainless-steel knives are available in either three- or five-piece sets, and the magnetic strip is mounted over a glass tile background that flips over to provide a wood cutting surface.
Better Housewares Corp. introduced a flip-up dish rack designed for small spaces and water bottle I.D. drink tags. Dexas International offered the Turbo Fan Salad Spinner that pulls air into the spinner through open ports along the base for drier greens, and the collapsible Klip Scoop that measures out food in proper portion sizes and can secure open bags. Quench Products featured its Bar10der tool that offers 10 different bar tools in one compact gadget. Skoy Enterprises has developed an absorbent cleaning cloth that is re-usable and biodegradable and is meant as a replacement for sponges or paper towels. In tabletop, Holland-based Blond Amsterdam introduced a tea accessory line called Blondelicious in pastel shades and Small Talk, a series of mugs and bowls featuring illustrations of women chatting.