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DEREK MILLERPresident of International Housewares Association (IHA), headquartered in Rosemont (northwest of Chicago), Illinois, USA
On The Board
and meaningful member services, and preserving leadership, organisational and financial strengths.
What’s your role? I’m the president of the International Housewares Association (IHA): a US-based, not-for-profit trade association serving the home and housewares industry. In my role, I direct and oversee all activities and operations for the Association and for The Inspired Home Show, working closely with the IHA board of directors.
What’s your background? Before moving to my current role in October 2018, I led IHA’s marketing department for five years, marketing the Association, member services and the Show. I also had the opportunity to develop IHA’s consumer engagement programme,
TheInspiredHome.com, which now receives more than 600,000 site visits each month. Earlier in my career at IHA, I led all international marketing and member service activities, developing the International Business Council and the International Housewares Shippers Association. I also led 18 trade missions to 12 different countries to help IHA members directly connect with retailers and distributors in foreign markets. I’ve now worked for IHA for 20 years and, in total, have been involved in the housewares industry for more than 24 years. Previously, I was a director at Nordic Ware, a US-based housewares manufacturer, where I had the opportunity to work on domestic and international sales, marketing and procurement.
What’s keeping you busy? We finalised our new strategic plan in September. This document not only directs IHA’s vision and mission but also helps with tactical activities. My role throughout the process was to listen to our members and board of directors to determine the strategic direction for the Association and commit it to paper.
Now that we’re through that process, we’re in the implementation phase, and I’m working with IHA staff to carry out and accomplish our goals, which are: providing a world-class trade show, increasing consumer engagement with home and housewares products, facilitating strategic
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housewareslive.net •
HousewaresLive.net •
twitter.com/Housewaresnews December 2019
Tell us a bit about The Inspired Home Show. The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market is the new name for the International Home + Housewares Show. The Show will held in Chicago from March 14
to March 17. It continues to feature a diverse assortment of products showcased in five Expos: Dine + Décor featuring tabletop, cookware, bakeware and home décor; Clean + Contain featuring cleaning, organisation and clothing care items; Wired + Well featuring home, kitchen, health and personal care electrics; Discover Design featuring design- driven products from all show categories; and International Sourcing featuring value-priced products from China and Taiwan. The Show’s name was changed to better
reflect the realities in today’s marketplace. In the early 2000s, price was the determining sales factor. We then saw functionality with design become increasingly important. And now, as lifestyle is the next step in the evolution, we will be out in front of this movement. After all, if the best designed product found at the right price does not fit within the lifestyle of the targeted consumer, a sale will not be made. Through our consumer engagement
programme -
TheInspiredHome.com - IHA has been actively promoting lifestyle for several years. And in March 2020, The Inspired Home
Show will bring the importance of lifestyle to the forefront at the industry's premier marketplace. The reimagined show will help retailers understand how design and function fit into their customers’ lifestyles and find ways to inspire those consumers to purchase products that complement their lifestyles.
What’s the biggest challenge & opportunity facing housewares retailers? The changing landscape. The internet and online shopping have exponentially expanded the consumer’s ability to research and purchase products from a wide variety of sources throughout the country, and in some cases internationally as well. The rise of Amazon and Wayfair has put pressure on traditional retailers, forcing them to adapt or be left behind. Successful retailers in the future will likely
have omnichannel business models that meet customers’ needs both online and in a physical location. Traditional retailers are moving online, and online retailers are opening physical stores and pop-up shops.
What’s the biggest challenge & opportunity facing housewares suppliers? This is an interesting time for our industry with a challenging geo-political climate and polarised politics. President Trump’s tariff policy, Brexit and struggles in Hong Kong all create uncertainty in the marketplace. All of that said, in the US, the stock market
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