IHA News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Deborah A.Teschke
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
847-692-0110

Consumers Focus On Home Cooking  And Outdoor Entertaining For 2007

ROSEMONT, ILL (January 2007) – American consumers are putting a modern twist on traditional meals and entertaining in 2007.

Today’s meals are often a combination of partially prepared foods pulled together at either at a meal assembly center or at a friend or neighbor’s house. And the kitchen or dining room table maybe collecting dust because those easily prepared meals are increasingly being eater outside on a newly renovated patio or in the backyard.

Americans are going back to eating at home, said A.J. Riedel, senior partner of Riedel Marketing Group, noting people increase their frequency of at-home dining for one of two reasons. “They may eat at home more often when they have more time to cook, maybe because they just retired or are getting help with child care duties,” she said. “Or they may start eating at home more because of changes in lifestyle. For example, a change in work schedule or when they buy their first home.”

In addition, today’s patios are being “upgraded and super-sized,” Riedel said, with quality outdoor furniture.

New products highlighting these and other trends will be on display at the International Home & Housewares Show, March 11 to 13, 2007 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

At the forefront of these trends is the Consumer Advisory Council created by Riedel Marketing Group for the International Housewares Association.  The Council was designed to identify emerging home-related trends from among more than 50 HomeTrend Influentials (HIPsters.)
During a focus group in November 2006, a group of eight HIPsters reported eating dinner at home at least four times per week with the majority eating dinner at home five or more times per week. Half of the HIPsters noted they are eating dinner at home more often than they did a year ago.

In addition, HIPsters have started using timesaving kitchen appliances, such as slow cookers and convection ovens.

Riedel noted that the number of meals eaten in a restaurant annually has decreased from 93 meals per person in 1985 to 80 meals per person in 2005, according to The NPD Group’s Annual Eating Patterns in America report.

HOME COOKED MEALS, NOT NECESSARILY HOME-MADE

Consumers are seeking assistance from outside sources to prepare dinner at home. Easy meal preparation centers, such as Super Suppers, Dream Dinners and Dinner’s Ready, offer consumers the opportunity to attend a two- or three-hour session and assemble a month of dinners that are ready to be cooked.

According to the Easy Meal Prep Association, by year-end 2006 there were 1130 outlets worldwide, with industry revenues expected to hit $270 million. By 2010, revenues are expected to hit $1.116 billion at more than 3500 outlets worldwide.

“The reason for their success is they are fulfilling a need for busy families,” said Amy Vasquez, a representative for the Easy Meal Prep Association. “They offer convenience, variety and less hassle for the consumer” by eliminating the shopping and chopping portion of the meal, she said.

Two of the eight HIPsters have tried one of the meal assembly centers and plan to use them again.

“It’s a huge hassle for us to shop, keep, use and clean up fresh foods,” adds Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group and author of the annual Eating Patterns in America report. “It’s no surprise to me that there is growing interest around the country in ‘meal assembly centers.’ The real advantage of these places is that they do all the purchasing, storing, planning, preparing, and clean up of fresh foods.”

While some consumers are opting for meal assembly centers, others are cooking clubs, also known as supper clubs or gourmet clubs.

Cooking Light magazine began its first Cooking Light Supper Club in California in 1999. All members create the menu and gather in one member’s home to prepare the meal together, providing a chance to socialize and learn new recipes and cooking tips. Since March 2006, 50,000 readers of Cooking Light have signed up for the magazine’s supper clubs program to receive menus, how-to newsletters and other entertaining tips.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Socializing through meals is a time-honored tradition in which many consumers still participate. However, the location of many of those meals has moved from the kitchen or dining room to the outdoor patio and barbecue.

According to the NPD Group’s annual Eating Patterns in America & Kitchen Audit reports, outdoor grill usage has steadily climbed over 20 years. The report states the percentage of people who own a gas grill has steadily increased from 47 percent in 1993 to 56 percent in 2005.

Half of the HIPsters at the focus group recently completed or are planning to do work on their patios because they want to be able to do more entertaining outside. Citing a desire to entertain outside year-round, one HIPster enlarged the deck area and built a firepit to give the home a large outdoor area for entertaining.

According to Riedel, consumers are seeking to create an outdoor living room that is comparable in design and construction to indoor family rooms. Two of the HIPsters noted they have seen several home showcases with covered outdoor living rooms that are complete with built-in barbecues and fireplaces, ceiling-mounted heaters and flat screen televisions.
“The formal living room is an endangered species,” said Riedel, citing a Housewares TrendTracker 2004 survey that showed home buyers did not think it was necessary to have a separate living room.

One HIPster noted her new house does not even have a formal living room. Another HIPster is thinking of eliminating the wall between her living room and kitchen to create a great room.
Homeowner remodeling spending showed signs of easing through third quarter 2006, according to the Remodeling Activity Indicator (RAI) devised by Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. The study reported homeowners spent an estimated $160.5 billion on home improvement repairs over the past four quarters, only a 1.6 percent increase compared to the previous four quarters.

THE GREAT INDOORS: ORGANIZED AND FREE FROM CLUTTER

Another prevalent trend among HIPsters is the desire to become more organized and eliminate clutter from their homes. Five of the eight focus group members are more organized, or expect to be soon, or are consciously getting rid of stuff.

According to Riedel, the research firm Yankelovich Partners identified what it called “the claustrophobia of abundance” in 2002. The research firm, Riedel noted, predicted a shift in priorities away from acquisition of more stuff to the editing and elimination of items.
“This is the first year that I have seen that shift in priorities being reflected by the HIPsters,” Riedel noted. Three of the HIPsters that participated in the focus group are paring down or are planning to pare down.

One participant noted she is feeling more organized since she installed hanging shelves in her garage and switched to clear plastic containers with labels, making it easier to find things. Another HIPster reported feeling very disorganized since moving to a smaller house. She notes she is constantly searching for ideas to maximize storage space in a small room.
Following is an overview of new products that buyers will be seeing at the 2007 International Home & Housewares Show:

DINE & DESIGN EXPO (FEATURING GOHO, Gourmet Home & Food District)

• Coffee and tea accessories that are hand-crafted glass straws with a miniature French press-like tip that brews a single serving of coffee or tea in a cup and prevents unpleasant teeth stains from caffeinated beverages.
• Press coffee and espresso maker featuring a microfilter and total immersion brewing.
• Personal microwave steamer made of silicone, which allows the consumer to steam meats, vegetables and fruits without fats or oils.
• Silicone turner that is slim and curved and is suited for making crepes.
• Pocket-sized electronic talking wine master that features more than 10,000 wine and spirit reviews, ratings and suggested retail prices.
• On the go salad container that features a dressing dispenser built into the lid.
• Gourmet, specialty and organic teas such as Napoleon’s Dynamite, Masala Chai and Avalanche Rooibos.
• Tab popper that easily opens pull tabs on any size food can.
• Stainless steel countertop unit that roasts garlic in less than 30 minutes.
• Stainless steel cookware, manufactured and exported from India.
• Limited edition collection of handcrafted cold-cast ceramic replicas of all 50 U.S. state flowers.
• Organically grow bamboo all-purpose servers in colors such as kiwi, cayenne or aqua.
• Hand-coiled bamboo bowls finished with 18 layers of lacquer in a range of colors that are food-safe and durable.
• Double-layered sushi knife with a stainless steel outer layer and gold carbon steel blade interior for cutting edge.
• Shake-on barbecue seasoning, basting sauces and backyard steak shaker for all purpose seasoning.

WIRED & WELL EXPO

• Personal, portable air purifier that allows the user to create their personal clean air zone.
• Water-based air freshener and purifier that removes unpleasant odors and leaves an aromatizing scent behind.
• Automobile ionic air purifier that plugs into car outlet and cleans air pollutants inside car.
• Teddy bear with built-in sound pack that plays soothing sounds to lull babies to sleep.
• Unique click and twist design converts from 5-speed hand mixer into an immersion blender and back again.
• Alarm clock with a vibrating pad attachment that can be placed underneath a pillow or mattress so when the alarm is activated, it gently shakes the person awake.
• Countertop infrared oven that broils, roasts, grills, bakes, toasts and steams without oils or fats.
• Sports series humidifiers such as baseball, football, soccer and basketball specifically designed for children’s rooms.
• High performance stainless steel hand vacuum.
• Compact canister vacuum clears with power nozzle and 4.0 horsepower.

CLEAN, CONTAIN & OUTDOOR DOMAIN EXPO

• Clear plastic bow that attaches to shower curtain rod and holds the curtain out to create up to 25% more space at the elbow and knee level.
• Hands-free rectangular trash can with a recessed sensor that automatically opens when the user slips his foot into the recessed zone.
• Shower caddy that features shelves that can be adjusted up, down or side to side to accommodate large items or plumbing.
• Travel ionic air purifier that can be worn around the neck or clipped to a shirt and that provides up to 20 days of continuous use.
• Stand-alone storage unit designed specifically for the garage that is large enough to house boxes, totes and more.