The International Home + Housewares Show (IH+HS) and International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the Global Innovation Award (gia) program, have named the national winners of 2014-2015, including 25 outstanding home and housewares retailers from 24 countries.
The gia program was created by the IHA and IH+HS to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing throughout the world. Since the launch of gia in 2000, there have been more than 320 gia retail award winners, from 40 countries on six continents.
The 2014-2015 national gia winners are: ORGANIZZA of Argentina; Koskela of Australia; Presentes Rodriguez of Brazil; Hudson’s Bay from Canada; MLILY HOME of China; Mettler of Colombia; Munk of Denmark; KITCHENSHOP of Eastern Europe (Romania); Oh my Kitchen! Of France; Bärle am Friedrichsplatz of Germany; Home Centre of India; Stock Design of Ireland; Contini of Italy; IDÉE SHOP of Japan; THE One Total Home Experience of the Middle East (United Arab Emirates); Coolblue of the Netherlands; The Design Depot of New Zealand; Dobroteka of Poland; Torgoviy Dom KWESTOR of Russia; Metelerkamps of South Africa; Jumbo of Turkey; John Lewis of the United Kingdom.; Vivai of Uruguay; Marcel’s Culinary Experience of the United States; Wayfair of the United States (Internet/Catalogue).
The gia competition is structured on a two-tier level – national and global – to honor independent and multiple location home and housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories including overall mission statement, vision and strategy; store design and layout; visual merchandising, displays and window displays; marketing, advertising and promotions; customer service and staff training; and innovation.
Each national gia winner is invited to the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago where the global gia jury, consisting of four experts representing Asia, Europe and the Americas, plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors from around the world, will select up to five gia Global Honorees and the winner of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising. During the show in March, the winners will be honored at an awards dinner.
