May 2011 issue

Season of Style

It's been quite a year already. After taking the helm of Gourmet Business in January, I found myself hitting the road with the team and discovering (following a brief hiatus from gourmet retailing last year) that style and innovation are back in force.

From retailers to vendors, the focus on innovation - whether in product introductions or communicating with customers - is strong. A peek into the spring tabletop market in New York further illustrated this as retailers searched out new product that speaks to their customers, and vendors presented a fresh take on designs for the year to come.

The natural focus continues to grow in all categories, including tabletop. And it's good to see that both vendor-retailer and retailer-consumer relationships are taking advantage of the sustainability trend, bringing new depth to their communicative partnerships. We are all listening to one another so that not only do we have better business operations, but we also function as a society with less waste and more intelligent choices.

From packaging and material choices to shipping, vendors and retailers are heeding the call for a smarter, more streamlined process, and - although it can be a cumbersome start - consumers are appreciative of those efforts.

So, as the season moves outside, we've wrapped up a selection of fun products that both fill a need and provide joy. And we've worked to select items that are creative and created with logic.

Cheers!