Gourmet Business August 2016

Much to the dismay of countless school children across the country, for whom the summer vacation is never long enough, we are quickly approaching that time of year known in retail parlance as back-to- school. It used to be that the beneficiaries of this retail phenomenon were strictly the K-Marts, Walmarts and Targets of the world, but increasingly parents are looking to specialty stores for style, practicality, and sustainability in the products they buy for their children to pack off to that first day of the school year. Our editor Joanne Friedrick takes a look at this ever growing category and provides a product gallery full of things kids will love – from frozen snacks to Bento boxes. Parents may be relying on others for the pen sets, 3-ring binders and calculators, but they’re probably counting on you to provide the pizzazz. Hopefully we can help you so they aren’t disappointed. 

The trade show season isn’t over yet. As I write this we’re preparing to head for the Nevada desert to attend the Las Vegas Market (see Gourmet Business July 2016), and we’ll be reporting back on that in a future issue. Later this month, however, our crew and thousands of retailers will be going to New York for NY NOW, a show celebrating design in the city that many feel is the epicenter of design, in this country at least. To help you prepare for that show we have a preview this month with a gallery of some of the products you can expect to see there. These shows provide some of the last chances to find new and exciting products for the fall and holiday seasons so make sure your bags are packed and your open-to- buy has plenty of room. We look forward to seeing many of you in the aisles of the World Market Center in Las Vegas and at the Javits Center in New York. Happy travels and good luck for the remainder of the summer. Enjoy it because as every kid knows, it’s never long enough. 

James Mellgren 

Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com