By Allison Zisko
Pessimism can get very tiring after a while, which is perhaps why many of the vendors headed to Chicago for the International Home & Housewares Show later this month are determinedly upbeat about their fortunes there.
“There are still people out there willing to buy, willing to take the risk,” said Thomas Perez, president of Bodum USA, which is doubling its number of introductory SKUs in Chicago and launching its biggest range in many years, a strategy that admittedly “goes against the current” of cautious planning. “We’re very optimistic and think we will have a great Chicago.”
Bodum is buoyed by a successful showing at the Ambiente fair in Frankfurt, Germany, where it offered new programs in many colors and explored categories that it hadn’t done much with before, such as motion-sensor grinders.
Many vendors who traveled to Frankfurt last month have used their experience there to hone their expectations for the housewares show. Many of them, particularly in the glass category, have adopted a “back to basics” mentality but believe there is plenty of potential in the market.
Having a range of price points is helpful, but the value-oriented position is the wisest.
“We offer a lot of value,” said Neil Orzeck, director of the Americas for Turkish glass company Pasabahce, which has revamped its basic glass tumbler shape and injected lots of colors to its tumblers and glass accessory items. “We’re skewing our new offerings to be unique—in function, design and packaging—and value-oriented.” In Chicago, Pasabahce plans to implement the ‘wow’ factor and continue to offer value.
Value-oriented goods still need to be fashionable, functional and of good quality, said Chad Price, vice president of glassware products for Schott Zwiesel. “How do you make it interesting at a value price?” he asked rhetorically. “That’s what we’ve been doing. That’s been our position, but if someone wants to step up, we have more to offer.”
Glass beverageware, glass dinnerware and glass entertaining sets are all doing well for Libbey, according to Greg Pax, consumer marketing manager. “We’re still a core item that’s needed. When you break it, you need to replace it.” In addition, consumers are going out to dinner less and eating at home more, which bodes well for Libbey as well as its competitors. With retail prices ranging between $5 and $30 per item, Libbey offers an affordable alternative for people eating at home, Pax said.
David Zrike, president of The Zrike Company, expects “serious “ buyers in Chicago.
“It has never been a writing show, but we expect to have good meetings regarding the third and fourth quarter, which is when we expect things to rebound a bit,” he said. Like its competitors, Zrike is introducing more well-priced product then usual. Among its introductions are 80 mugs, two Coca-Cola lines in melamine and ceramic and new ceramic pieces in its Kellogg license.
“We feel small pick-up gifts will be key going forward,” Zrike said. “Also items for the dollar stores, which we feel is a key business going forward. We will also be focusing on the grocery trade, which for us is growing.”