Gourmet Business March 2015

Anticipating the Next Hot  Category 

I am looking forward to our annual trek to the grand celebration of home we call the International Home + Housewares Show. I am trying to work out in my mind what
the hot categories will be in the coming year. As I write this, I am about to attend Ambiente in Frankfurt, Germany, which I hope will help me focus on some ideas after seeing what manufacturers are featuring in Europe. 

So far this year, I have noticed color continuing to be employed in many categories that used to only come in your basic white and black. The colored nonstick coatings being applied to cookware, for instance, really make it pop on the shelf. I was surprised to learn from the Housewares MarketWatch report for the first half of 2014 that 75 percent of all cookware was purchased by women. Perhaps the move to more color appeals to female buyers who are more likely to respond to color and select items that look good in the kitchen as well as perform. 

Where else can you look for trends, and anticipate the products and categories that are going to be in demand? Spend a few minutes scanning cooking magazines on the newsstands and notice what’s on the cover and the type of recipes found inside. You will find there is an underlying connection to what’s being written about and what’s being prepared in consumers’ kitchens. 

Watching what the chefs on the Food Network and other network stations are preparing – and the products they are  employing to make the meals – also helps identify common themes. It never ceases to amaze me how some people get so fixated on these programs, and how the programming can inspire consumers to get in the kitchen and experiment. Experimentation usually leads to the discovery of food preparation needs previously unrealized ... and, voila, demand is created. I have experienced this phenomenon firsthand as my 8-year-old daughter has become a fan of Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond and, to my surprise, has prepared several of her recipes. I couldn’t be happier to see her enjoying time in the kitchen, and demonstrating confidence in her ability to do it all herself at her young age. I am hoping she too may attend the show this year, so that perhaps I can surprise her with the opportunity to meet Drummond, who will be performing on the GOHO stage, along with our Mulange brand ambassador, Chef Bernard Guillas. 

Enjoy the show, everybody, and be sure to stop by the Gourmet Business Pavilion at S2086 to view our displays. 

David Spencer
Publisher, Gourmet Business

 President, HousewaresDirect, Inc.

dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com