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World’s Best Retailers Honored With  Global Innovator Awards In Chicago

CHICAGO (March 23, 2009) – Excellence in housewares retailing is an important focus at the 2009 International Home + Housewares Show as the world’s most innovative and creative retailers are honored at the 9th annual Global Innovator Awards (gia) program in Chicago.

The International Home + Housewares Show and International Housewares Association (IHA), primary sponsors of the gia program, today announced the winners for 2008-2009 from around the globe. This year’s program boasts 20 winners from 19 countries. 
IHA and the International Home + Housewares Show created the gia program in 1999 to honor housewares retailing innovation and merchandising excellence at the international retail level. The competition is structured both on a national and global level to honor independent and multiple location housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories:

  • Successful operations
  • Depth of product offerings
  • Innovative business practices
  • Innovative in-store merchandising displays/techniques
  • In-store promotions
  • External marketing/promotions
  • Quality of customer service
  • Breadth and depth of employee training

Each national winner travels to the International Home + Housewares Show where the global gia jury, consisting of three experts representing Asia, Europe and the Americas, plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors, will select up to five global gia Honorees. The jury also selects a winner of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising – which honors the best window display of the year.
All the national winners and global honorees will be recognized before a worldwide audience of housewares retailing experts the evening of March 22 during the gia gala at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago.

An impressive gia Showcase will be on display in the Grand Concourse Lobby where visuals of each store’s award-winning efforts are featured. Banners for the honored retailers can also be seen in the walkway that connects the Grand Concourse and the Lakeside Center.

“The gia Showcase represents the best-of-the best in retailing today, and serves as inspiration for other retailers seeking an innovative edge in today’s marketplace,” said Phil Brandl, IHA president. “Every year Show visitors benefit from observing what the best retailers around the globe are doing to put themselves head and shoulders above their competition.”

For more information about gia, the co-sponsors or participating in 2009, e-mail international2010@housewares.org. Visit www.housewares.org/gia for additional information about gia.