Heard on the Show Floor
We just returned from the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair where we were able to see
a glimpse of the latest products being produced in Asia, many of which will find their way to our shores soon. We would like to thank the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for inviting us, and congratulate them on putting on a great show (a comprehensive report will be available in our next issue).
I learn a great deal walking the many trade shows we frequent throughout the year. It’s a great way to get a feel for upcoming trends, share thoughts with colleagues and learn firsthand about happenings in the industry. From time to time, I will share some of the more exciting tidbits of information with you. The Wall Street Journal has a column along similar lines, called “Heard on the Street.” I thought my accounts should be more appropriately titled “Heard on the Show Floor.”
I caught up with Tom Mirabile, SVP global trend and design, at the Lifetime Brands booth at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair in the midst of his Asia tour of duty. I was excited to see one of America’s greatest brand marketers testing the waters in Asia, something I imagine more western brands will be tempted to do in the near future. I found out that Lifetime recently acquired a great brand in the world of coffee last month, La Cafetière, and they plan to “liven” up the product range with some new looks and functionality. Since they have done such a great job with Savora, I eagerly await the results.
Earlier in the year, we had coffee with Mark Henry at Ambiente and learned about his new venture, “innovivant.” You may remember Mark from his previous successful venture, a little company named Füritechnics from Australia, which took the world by storm with the Rachael Ray knife. Well, there is no doubt in my mind that Mark is a serial innovator, and I can assure you that his next big thing will have a transformational impact on our industry. Mark is still fairly tight- lipped about the details of his venture, but he is in the process of moving to the USA, and plans to open up shop later this year. The only details I could squeeze out of him was that his patent involved a new production technique that will be less labor-intensive, which means manufacturing could take place anywhere in the world (including, hint, in the USA). He promised to give us the scoop first when the time was right, so stay tuned for the world première right here on these very pages.
David Spencer
Publisher, Gourmet Business
President, HousewaresDirect, Inc.
dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com