Oser Communications Group

GENERAL NEWS www.kitchenwarenews.com n JANUARY 2019 n KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW 5 BY AMANDA HELT The Las Vegas Market and Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishing Market are just around the corner, and as anticipation sets in, people are starting to wonder what these markets will have in store. Last year, Robert Marichich, CEO of International Market Centers, said that exhibitor participation and buyer attendance in the 2018 winter market reached unprecedented highs. " The attendance increases are incredible, but even more impactful was the quality of attendees, with buyers ranging f rom major chains to independent shops to high-end designers," he said. The Las Vegas Market recently announced the expansion of the housewares, tabletop and specialty food exhibitors section, adding more than 6,600 square feet of showroom space. The gourmet category continues to grow market-over-market at Las Vegas Market, with more than 750 lines available to date," said Joy Jansen, Director of Gift and Home Leasing for International Market Centers, owner of Las Vegas Market. "In the last year alone, we have recorded nearly 32,000 square feet of gourmet-focused leasing activity – additions, expansions and renewals." AmericasMart Atlanta has also grown by more than 6,000 square feet since July 2018 to make room for additional exhibitors. Vitamix Sales Rep Shauna Halawitch, who's attended the markets for more than 10 years, says every market is better than the market before as far as buyers go. "I expect it to be better attended this year. They do a better job on advertising every year, and every year, the shows are better than the previous years," she said. Tyler Wren, the National Sales Manager for Bear Paw Products, Inc., has attended these markets for the past five years. He says that he has high hopes for this year's market. The Sales Manager plans to travel to Vegas in pursuit of getting his brands recognition, and says he knows that buyers' attendance will dictate if he's successful in that venture. "I've seen a lot of repeat customers and hope this year, they'll be new customers that'll take our products on," he said. Rebecca Eckhart f rom Core explained that f rom her perspective, since the economy has picked up, so have her sales and believes that more buyers will be at market this year than last. "It seems like a lot more people are committing to attend and are looking for new and exciting products," she said. John Gunther, President of Fiddler on the Roof, was also pretty hopeful that many companies may find the economy strong enough to expand and venture out into new product offerings. "It seems like the economy is still strong, and I think people are ready to buy some new products," he said. With more than 700 exhibitors at Las Vegas and more than 800 expected at AmericasMart'Atlanta in the housewares and gourmet product category, everything f rom gadgets to large appliances will be at market this year. Notable trends include a focus on men's products, small appliance accessories and a play with design and style. MOVA International will be in the Pavilions at Las Vegas Market with its 4.5-inch Blue and Silver MOVA Globe, the newest item in the company's world maps collection. Deep blue waters and highly-luminescent silver landmasses combine with bronze latitude and longitude lines for a sharp aesthetic appeal. The MOVA Globe rotates silently when exposed to ambient light – no batteries are required. For more information, email sales@movaglobes.com, call 858.259.1370 or visit www.movaglobes.com. Bear Paw Products, Inc. focuses on barbecue grilling products and products for smoking meat, and Wren says that they 've noticed a rise in men's product lately. According to Wren, smoking meat is one of the biggest trends in his business and notes that Bear Paw Products, Inc will be introducing a line of smoked meat accessories to take advantage of the love for outdoor cooking. "We hear a lot of people coming to the show to look for men's gifts," said Wren. "And we have come up with quite a few new products for the show that we'll be introducing. Grill mats and all kinds of accessories to help with smoking meat, and that's what they come to our booth for. A lot of our gifts are for men. That's what I notice more and more as I go to shows." On an elegant note, Olivia Riegel will introduce the Emerson Flute Set. This is a set of two glasses that each hold 7 ounces of bubbly wine. The base of these luxury toasting flutes is metal in an antiqued silver finish with dozens of hand-set clear crystals. Designed with a ball stem, the unique stemware adds a sleek feel to any party table. The pair retails for $250 and comes packaged in a signature gift box. Vitamix will introduce a new blade cleaner accessory for its customers. "One of the issues people have is cleaning under the blades, which, for the most part, are unremovable," says Halawitch. "So Vitamix has come out with a little silicone tool to clean under the blade." Design innovation is coming to market too. Smeg is planning to introduce a new small appliance in a bright shade of pink this year to play off of their classic vintage design. Canvas Candy is bringing its newest collection to Las Vegas Market this year, and among its offerings will be "You Lookin' at Me?" It's a 40-inch square canvas featuring a brightly painted calf that will add light to any room and generate smiles ever y time. For more information, call Canvas Candy at 514.461.1077 or visit www.canvascandy.com. John Gunther, President of Fiddlers on the Roof, also says they'll be coming out with new designs to the market this January. The company, which is known for its screen-printed large, cotton kitchen towels, focused on cute cat images on the f ront of the towels along with funny taglines underneath last year. "But this year," says Gunther. "...is the year of the dog." "All you have to do is walk down the street and everyone has a dog. Owning a pet becomes a very social thing to do. So we've had a lot of requests f rom our customers, and we want to bring the breeds into the kitchen," Gunther said. "We are going to introduce kitchen towels with popular dog breeds that have cute sayings. We have a white poodle graphic with a very colorful background. It says 'show off ' underneath. We have another one that a pitbull graphic that says 'Rescued is my favorite breed.' So they are realistic pictures that are slightly artistic." KN Markets to Offer a Winter Wonderland Lifetime Brands, Inc. has entered into a licensing agreement with Instant Brands, Inc., the makers of Instant Pot®, under which Lifetime Brands will create and distribute official Instant Pot-branded accessories specifically designed with the Instant Pot cook in mind. The license includes bakeware, prep accessories and cutting boards. Instant Pot pressure cookers have quickly become a must-have for busy families and home chefs. These high-tech appliances combine pressure cooking, sautéing, slow cooking, sous vide, rice cooking, yogurt making, steaming and other common cooking functions into one appliance. According to market research firm NPD, Instant Pot is America's number-one cooker brand. Lifetime Brands is developing 15 to 20 products customized to be used with and within an Instant Pot cooker. The collection will debut at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, March 2- 5, 2019. "We are thrilled to partner with Instant Brands on accessories for Instant Pot," said Dan Siegel, President, Lifetime Brands, Inc. "This collaboration allows retailers to capitalize on the excitement around this revolutionary product and broaden their Instant Pot assortment. Consumers have fully embraced this cooker, and we are excited to give them a cohesive collection of branded accessories to create even more healthy foods at home with their favorite appliance." "Our users are our top priority and we remain committed to providing solutions to help make life a little easier. The new accessories from Lifetime Brands will make Instant Pot cookers even more useful and easier to use," says Robert J. Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Instant Brands, Inc. KN Instant Brands, Inc. Awards Instant Pot License to Lifetime Brands, Inc.

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