Gourmet Business December 2016

December means different things to different people. For buyers, it means last minute, rush orders as you try to keep essentials in stock through New Year’s. For merchandisers, the challenge is to keep displays fresh and inviting and up-to-date with what’s in stock. For retailers in general, it’s all hands on deck with the goal of moving as much merchandise out the door as possible between now and the first of January, all while keeping order – on the shelves as well as with the shoppers – and maintaining good customer service. They say war is hell, but a close second could be a retail food, housewares, and/or gift store in December. Nevertheless, unless you’re Home Depot or Sherwin-Williams, December holiday sales are probably what help carry your store through the other eleven months of the year and so all respect must be paid. 

For us at Gourmet Business, December not only means the end of another year of publishing our family of magazines but it means that we’re all preparing for the beginning of another season of trade shows that we will be attending either individually or as a group. Right off the bat we have the Atlanta Gift Show (January 10-17), followed soon after by the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco (January 22- 24), and running simultaneously, the Las Vegas Market (January 22-26). Obviously, we’ll be splitting up for those two shows. Just around the corner from that round is NY NOW (February 4-8) and then we’re immediately o to Europe for Ambiente (February 10-14) in Frankfurt, Germany, a show we enjoy for a host of reasons (I’ll be previewing it next month). By the time we’re back from Frankfurt and nish reporting on Ambiente, it’ll be time to head to Chicago for the International Home + Housewares Show (March 18-21). Suffice to say that we will ring in 2017 with our bags already packed and our itineraries in hand. I hope we’ll see many of you at one or more of these trade shows, in one city or another, and if we can do anything to help guide you let us know. They are important learning opportunities as well as buying trips and they are all absolutely worthwhile. 

In the meantime, good luck to all of you. I wish you all a successful season, very happy holidays, and all the best in the New Year. See you in 2017. Cheers! 

James Mellgren 

Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com