The World’s Leading Home + Housewares Show

March 17–19, 2024 | McCormick Place | Chicago, IL

The World’s Leading Home + Housewares Show
March 17—19 | McCormick Place | Chicago, IL

gia Excellence in Retailing

Fostering innovation and excellence in housewares retailing throughout the world.

Excellence in Retailing

IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia)

gia – the IHA Global Innovation Awards program – is the world’s leading awards program honoring overall excellence, business innovation and creative merchandising in home goods retailing.

GIA RETAIL — HONORING HOUSEWARES RETAIL EXCELLENCE SINCE 2000

2023-2024 GLOBAL HONOREES & NATIONAL WINNERS

Norman Rockwell

Argentina

Negro House and Pleasures
Description

With a tagline “Let things happen,’’ Negro House and Pleasures constantly strives to break away from the conventional store format, designing spaces that tell a story from the moment you enter until you finish exploring. Deeply interested in art, particularly photography, they integrate all their spaces with works from various artists.

Negro House and Pleasures aims to generate stories. Through design, aromas, decoration, architecture and lighting, they transform houses into homes. Innovators in architecture and decoration, they create spaces and offer them to people. The products in the store are presented as if they were in a home – each item is carefully thought out and placed in a special location.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Australia

Granite Lane
Description

Established in 2014 to fill a gap in the Perth furniture market, Granite Lane has transformed into a premier destination for interior styling, furniture and homewares in Australia. The store is filled with modern furniture, featuring some of the most esteemed brands across Australia – complemented with Granite Line’s own designs, Western Australia-made furniture, rugs and mirrors. Carefully chosen music, scents and lighting support the furniture selection, creating a positive, relaxed ambiance.

Complimentary consultation sessions are available, both in-store and with interior stylists visiting clients' homes. In addition, Granite Line sends mood boards of styled concepts to clients, allowing them to purchase directly from the mood board shopping list – tailored specifically to them.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Austria

Redl Glas – Porzellan
Description

Established in 1985, Redl Glas – Porzellan is a second-generation family business that aspires to be a hub for distinctive and diverse goods, providing unparalleled variety coupled with expert insights and specialized customer-centric services. The new Redl store in Linz has an impressive 500 m2 sales area on two floors, focusing on household, kitchenware, storage and gift products.

Redl has a mission to provide sustainable products, with a strong emphasis on biodegradable plastics and exceptional craftsmanship. They offer an extensive curated portfolio showcasing exclusive limited-edition products – including handcrafted items from artisanal workshops – in addition to internationally renowned brands and unique culinary products, catering to customers with a passion for high-quality kitchenware.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Belgium

Dhondt leef mooi
Description

Dhondt is a reseller of the finest A-brands in the field of cookware, tableware, interior design and gift products. Established in 1930 and now in its fourth generation, Dhondt has three stores where customers are inspired with the latest trends and an extensive range of innovative products. Positive experiences, both in the physical stores and in the online store, and sincere long-term customer relationships are of key importance to Dhondt. There are regular workshops and events in the stores, as well as active communications with customers via social media, personalized newsletters and the company’s own magazine, designed to inspire, twice a year.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Brazil

MUMA
Description

Established in 2014 and with four stores now, MUMA is committed to democratizing premium design furniture and home decor throughout Brazil. Its philosophy prioritizes creativity, sustainable practices and exceptional customer service. Focusing exclusively on high-end, signed design pieces, MUMA actively supports emerging designers, giving them a platform to showcase their creativity and innovation.

MUMA bridges the online and offline worlds with seamless omni-channel retailing, extending accessibility even to remote areas, such as the Amazon. In the stores, modern self-service kiosks and tablets elevate the shopping experience, providing customers with immersive product information and inspiration.

Vibrant store facades, adorned with art and plants, create a visual spectacle and inviting ambience. MUMA’s slogan, "Joy is on trend," embodies the joyful and inclusive environment they foster in their stores, making every visit a delightful experience.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Canada

Bradshaws
Description

Bradshaws is a 128-year-old business that has been owned and operated by six generations of two Stratford families. Although a historic store in a historic downtown core, it has a contemporary focus that responds to the changing needs of the clientele. Bradshaws actively seeks out innovative new products and the selection is evolving constantly, striving to promote merchandise from companies with a vision of improving the industry through innovation, design, quality and environmental and social responsibility.

Customers are of key importance to Bradshaws and they are very active in their local community, through donations to local charities and arts organizations, hosting events from open houses to wine tastings and collaboration with local organizations.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

China

DOHMC Ltd.
Description

With the tagline “The solution provider of your extraordinary life,” DOHMC is a pioneering lifestyle hub, redefining retail with immersive product experiences and community-driven initiatives. It creates vibrant social spaces through monthly theme rotations, engaging displays, influencer collaborations and seamless online-offline integration. Crafting unique story plots and communities within the store is part of the concept, fostering shared experiences and group interactions.

The mission of DOHMC is to connect people, products and stories, and what is very special, they empower their team with pre-employment community immersion and lifestyle experiences. DOHMC goes beyond traditional retail, fostering innovation and building a dynamic, inclusive community.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Colombia

CRISTALERIA LA PAZ
Description

With a tagline “As big as your dreams,” Cristalería La Paz is a one-stop shop for housewares and hospitality products. Established in 1969, the company offers a robust portfolio of products, from the best brands in the market.

In addition to the actual store, customers can enjoy the Experience Center, located within the store. A professional 500 sq ft (about 45 m2) kitchen offers flash cooking lessons, private cooking lessons for corporate celebrations and private events for friends and families – led by the company’s own in-house chef. The space is also used for cooperation with influencers to produce original content, promoting the Cristalería La Paz brand in social media, further building a community around the store.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Czech Republic

Potten & Pannen – Stanek
Description

The newest store concept by Potten & Pannen – Stanek, ATERIER is located in a historic neoclassical building in central Prague. Embodying expertise in premium homeware and the latest trends in retail and culinary, ATELIER is designed as a unique sales space that tells the story of cooking and dining by approaching all senses. The sales staff guides customers through the store just like a curator in a gallery – the customer doesn’t come to ATELIER simply to buy kitchen equipment but also for a unique experience and an artistic impression.

ATELIER combines the benefits of an exceptional personal shopping experience with individual consultation and an omnichannel approach using advanced digital technologies. The customer can experience almost 40 carefully curated premium brands and admire the originality and craftsmanship of Bohemian designers.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

France

Maison Empereur
Description

Founded in 1827, Maison Empereur is the oldest French drugstore, a family business managed by the 8th generation. Fully embracing the store’s past and a vintage image, its managers know how to use the tools and technologies of the present to ensure today's success.

Referenced in all tourist guides, this concept store has become a tourist and cultural attraction, attracting national and international customers, while remaining a local store for the people of Marseille, for whom it remains an essential part of their daily lives. The store includes a museum, a coffee shop and a guest room, which allows visitors to experience a night in a back shop like in the past.

Regionality, sustainability and social commitment are of high importance to Maison Empereur. Their offering includes products from 250 French manufacturers and almost as many foreign ones.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Germany

Kustermann
Description

Founded in 1798, Kustermann is a department store that can be described with keywords tradition, delight and joie de vivre. With more than 70,000 articles on 5,000 square meters Kustermann offers a unique range of beautiful and functional quality products that guarantee long-lasting enjoyment, including high-quality tableware, household and hobby/craft products.

Embracing the new and preserving tradition, Kustermann is a department store for all the senses, where one can shop, taste, experience products (with over 700 product demonstrations per year!), celebrate special events and enjoy. Sustainability and social commitment are very close to their hearts, with store events used to collect donations.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

India

Pure Home + Living
Description

Established in 2011, Pure Home + Living (PHL) is India’s leading home décor and lifestyle brand with 34 stores in premium malls and high-street locations across the country.

The Pure Home + Living mission is to assist consumers in envisioning imaginative combinations that evoke the desired magic each time they enter their home. With a diverse range of high-quality products sourced from around the world, their stores offer a curated selection of home decor, blending nature-inspired elements with inventive color palettes. Collections are presented by color and theme, inspiring customers with creative combinations and setups, supported by feature mood lighting, signature scents and contemporary music, creating a unique atmosphere that elevates the shopping experience.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Ireland

The Kitchen Whisk
Description

Founded by mother and daughter Mary and Kate Masterson, The Kitchen Whisk is a specialized kitchen shop supplying kitchenware, from tableware to special kitchen tools, for enthusiastic home cooks and cookery students, as well as experienced chefs. The product offering is divided into cookware on the ground floor and tableware and barware on the first floor. With a warm and bright feel throughout, the overall style of the store is similar to a traditional kitchen with modern touches.

The Kitchen Whisk is known for its extensive selection of brands, including unusual products sometimes sourced specifically for one customer, as well as for its warm, personalized customer service, with special services such as knife sharpening and cake tin rental.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Italy

Cucina33
Description

Established in 2010, Cucina33 is not only a specialized kitchenware and cookware store but a meeting point – a feel-good place – for cooking enthusiasts and beyond, with an in-store cooking school. The store features a large selection of products, from major brands to new and original products, as well as items such as quality flours and special ingredients to enrich the offer.

The company collaborates with local producers and artisans to provide new ideas and items to customers. There is great attention customer service - and to detail – with custom-made store structures and furnishings, seasonal and themed displays and original packaging proposals.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Japan

Y.YACHT STORE Azabudai Hills
Description

Located in the luxurious Azabudai Hills area in Tokyo, the new Y-Yacht flagship store offers a full range of lifestyle solutions by carefully selected high-end brands from around the world. Based on an analysis of the local characteristics of the neighborhood, expected customers, and the appropriate services and product lineup, the store has an "Arts & Crafts" theme, with special art pieces, seasonal fresh flowers, minimalistic carefully crafted furniture and artistic displays to highlight the details and designs of the products on offer.

There is a resident concierge on hand in the store to listen to customers' requests and offering solutions to their problems, and a fully-equipped kitchen, with food products available, for customers to test cooking appliances and kitchen tools.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Kazakhstan

Premium Home
Description

Established in 2009, Premium Home is the oldest premium household goods store in the capital of Kazakhstan, with two boutique stores in high-end shopping malls in Astana. With the tagline Boutique of premium products for home, their goal is to bring beauty to every home, providing their customers with high-quality and excellence from the best brands in the world.

Premium Home has more than 20 brands in their offering, including seven tableware brands and over 50 sets of porcelain tableware – displayed in beautiful table settings in the stores. The company holds exclusive rights to Baccarat, one of the finest crystal brands in the world.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Mexico

Liverpool
Description

With 124 department stores across Mexico, the ambition of El Puerto de Liverpool is to "be part of your life" for all customers, in all channels, becoming the first purchase option for Mexicans. Established in 1847, the company aims to be the most attractive choice in service, assortment and value to customers, with a wide range of products and personalized service.

Liverpool invests in growing digital commerce capabilities, and the pillar in its omnichannel strategy is the Liverpool Pocket App, with 1.5 million registered customers. For in-store experiences, Liverpool offers state-of-art visual merchandising and displays, along with special events such as Gaming Fest, a massive gaming event designed to offer attendees a unique and memorable experience.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Middle East

Home Centre
Description

Home Centre is the largest omnichannel retailer for home furnishings in the Middle East, North Africa & the Indian sub-continent. Established in 1995 with its first store in the United Arab Emirates, Home Centre now has a network of over 80 stores, across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and India.

Offering outstanding value, quality products and exceptional customer experience, Home Centre has a customer-first approach of enabling every home to tell its own unique story. Covering all product groups for the home, from furniture, storage and décor to kitchen and household products, Home Centre houses products sourced from more than 50 countries worldwide. The stores are supported by an e-commerce platform providing customers an extensive range of over 14,000 products.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Netherlands

Kookx
Description

With a tagline “Everything for a tasty experience,” Kookx is a specialty store for everyone who loves cooking, whether professional chef or private person. A unique concept displayed in a space of 800 m2, at Kookx you will find kitchens, kitchen appliances and a cookshop under one roof – products and services from quality pans to the delivery and installation of a new dream kitchen or separate built-in appliances.

Customers are surprised by the nice, homely atmosphere in combination with beautiful high-quality products. There are weekly product demonstrations and cooking workshops in collaboration with suppliers and the company’s own cooking enthusiasts – its employees, who all share the passion for cooking and dining.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

New Zealand

Smith & Caughey's
Description

A family-owned business since it was founded in 1880, Smith & Caughey’s is New Zealand’s leading destination department store. Committed to preserving their heritage while continuously innovating to provide customers with exceptional experiences, unique products and a touch of luxury, the two Smith & Caughey’s stores expertly blend a large, curated selection of premium home brands with vibrant highlights and engaging product displays.

The exceptional in-store experiences include a home gallery with talking point pieces, allowing customers to explore the vibrancy of unique décor and enjoy the quant café, Wine Room – a haven for wine enthusiasts – and a Veuve Clicquot pop-up champagne bar.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Peru

Sodimac y Maestro
Description

Sodimac is a home improvement company with operations in six Latin American countries: Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico. The Peruvian operations started in 2004, and nowadays Sodimac Peru offers more than 40,000 home decoration and construction products with the main purpose of inspiring and improving life quality of their customers.

Sodimac’s goal is to offer the best portfolio of products, solutions and brands in the region that customers need in order to equip, remodel or build their home or work. Online and offline experiences are integrated, supported with in-store tablets and screens showing digital catalogs, tutorials and product information helping customers with their buying decisions. A special structure content platform Decolovers, inspires them in terms of decoration.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Poland

Premium Home
Description

Premium Home was created for people seeking beautiful and the highest quality interior furnishing products. The five Premium Home stores offer visually attractive and functional tableware and kitchenware, as well as lifestyle products and gifts.

A previous gia Top Window Global Honoree, Premium Home is known for its beautiful, innovative visual merchandising and displays. Shopping centers often offer them a chance to set up displays in their spaces or temporarily unoccupied shop windows.

With a highly individual approach to each customer, some of the unique services offered by Premium Home include table decoration, customization of any decoration available in the store to the customer's specifications and delivering purchases to a designated address.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Portugal

COTTOOK – Kitchen's Life
Description

Established in 2019, Cottook is a kitchenware specialty store located in a fashionable Lisbon neighborhood. Providing the best kitchen accessories and small appliances from well-established brands, Cottook’s mission is to assist its customers to build and maintain a relationship with their kitchens – with the goal to be the go-to store for all kitchen accessories and an important member within their community.

The store is spacious and very bright, thanks to the large windows facing the street, encouraging people to walk in and enjoy the nice calm atmosphere. The items on the store’s shelves were chosen specially to bring people into the kitchen and at the same time, uncomplicate their lives.

Sponsored By

Description

With stores in six cities spanning the Central, Eastern and Western provinces of Saudi Arabia, the main goal of NICE is to provide customers with the best products from around the world, designed and selected by Saudi designers as well as a highly experienced purchasing team with multi-cultural backgrounds.

NICE is committed to delivering an inspiring shopping experience by providing the best options for both traditional and modern Saudi homes. It showcases both emerging and local design talent alongside carefully curated established brands, emphasizing a diverse range of products, value and variety. With its stores, NICE is committed to revolutionizing the local retail landscape through an innovative and future-focused store design that prioritizes emotion, digital integration and sustainability.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Spain

Trends Home
Description

With the tagline “Live your home,” Trends Home is a kitchenware, furniture and decoration shop that stands out for its defined style and passion for design. Its aim is to offer its customers a careful selection of design and quality products to turn their houses into the home of their dreams, advised by a professional team of interior designers and design lovers.

Working with the best international brands in kitchenware, furniture and decoration, Trends Home creates atmospheres inspired by Mediterranean culture and Nordic and minimalist trends – resulting in warm, bright spaces, with sustainable and comfortable materials, in which their customers feel at ease.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Switzerland

Loeb AG
Description

Established in 1881, Loeb is “the most personal department store in Switzerland,” with customer satisfaction and the highest quality of service being its top priorities. By consistently focusing on customer needs, Loeb wants to offer its customers the best possible shopping experience and at the same time advise them personally.

Loeb has the largest (50 m2) store window in Switzerland, and it is well-known for its window displays with seasonal campaigns and cultural co-operations – the window can even be used as an event space. Another key element in Loeb’s experience is offering customers the in-store entertainment at the physical POS, on pop-up areas that are constantly changing.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Turkey

TAC
Description

With the first store opening in 2017, the 76 TAC stores across Turkey, together with the TAC online store, offer a broad range of products by Taç Kitchen, providing customers with a diverse selection for their kitchen needs. Encompassing items such as pots, pans, kitchen tools, dinnerware and more, the extensive product range caters to various customer requirements.

With the goal of making customers feel like they are at home, there is a warm feeling in the stores with an emphasis on colors, offering tablets for a virtual tour of the store and little surprises, like snacks cooked at the display stands. The same welcoming approach is extended to regular store events, including cooking days, new products launches and happy hours.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Ukraine

POSUD MEISTER
Description

Established in 1996, PosudMeister is a specialist tableware, kitchenware and giftware boutique, with six stores across Ukraine and an elite tableware online store. What is very special is that they have kept their stores open and continued trading through the current difficulties in Ukraine, providing customers a feeling of security and normality. The welcoming and warm stores and friendly staff guarantee the customers have an enjoyable shopping experience.

The product selection of PosudMeister includes some of the world’s leading brands in tableware and kitchenware, from exquisite porcelain sets of the latest trend collections for dining and tea ceremonies to everyday kitchenware items, including their own branded products and fashionable home décor products.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

United Kingdom

Divertimenti
Description

Established in 1963, Divertimenti – The Ultimate Cookshop – is located on London’s famous Brompton Road. With a total sales area of 500 m2 over two floors and a 25 m window frontage with eye-catching displays, Divertimenti offers the best and widest selection of kitchenware and unique tableware from around the world. There are 6,500 items – a product mix unlike any other, with over half of the products being exclusive, handmade or unique.

At the very heart of the store is a special cookery school that is diverse, cutting edge and innovative. Many famous chefs gave their first demonstrations at Divertimenti and to this day the school retains an enviable roster of Michelin-starred chefs, MasterChef winners and published authors.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

Uruguay

Home - Grupo Disco del Uruguay
Description

Located in Uruguay´s most exclusive seaside resorts, the three HOME stores by Grupo Disco del Uruguay provide their local and international customers with a unique selection of imported household products to equip their summer houses with the latest global trends.

With a warm atmosphere and a differentiated assortment, HOME offers a wide range of decoration and lighting products, tableware, glassware, accessories, gifts, bed and bath linens. As customers enter the store they are welcomed by original items for a great day at the beach: sun umbrellas, throws, towels and beach recliners. Chill music sets the mood of a seaside retreat with scents of sand and sea.

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

USA - Giftware

Mix It Up Home & Gift
Description

Creativity, customer service and community form the foundational pillars of Mix It Up. Located just two blocks apart in beautiful downtown Coeur d’Alene, Mix It Up Gift is the destination for thoughtful gifts for others, while Mix It Up Home stands as the premier choice for shopping for both yourself and your home.

The allure of Mix It Up Gift lies in a distinct and meticulously curated collection of gift items. They have distinguished themselves in the retail gift industry by creatively incorporating events into their business model – inviting the customer in rather than waiting for them to walk in.

Mix It Up Home & Gift: Where fun and festive meet, and style intertwines with taste – it's all in the MIX!

Sponsored By

Norman Rockwell

USA - Housewares

The Cook's Shop
Description

With a tagline Tools for The Kitchen, The Cook’s Store is a store for home cooks, like Chuck Williams’ original 1956 concept. Located in a 1912-era building in a historic Victorian town, the store has a 15-foot-high tin ceiling, crooked wooden floors and slow-moving fans, making customers feel like they’re stepping back in time.

New and innovative products are the key ingredients to The Cook’s Store’s success. Since its opening in 2009, the store has had over 28,000 different items in stock – 33% of items sold being U.S. made. Recipes from the store’s popular cooking classes are available in its cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Marietta, now in its fourth volume.

Sponsored By

2022-2023 GLOBAL HONOREES & NATIONAL WINNERS

Norman Rockwell

Argentina

Tiendas Landmark

Sponsored By

Description

The first "made in Argentina" department store chain, Tiendas Landmark offers anything for the home, featuring high-end quality and design. The retailer works with a store-within-a-store concept, where each brand has its own space, theme and atmosphere.

The new 6,000 square-meter (64 500 ft²) Tiendas Landmark store was designed to be an immersive experience that invites the customer touring – like in a small town – buildings, streets, a central “piazza.” There is a pathway to follow, set by architecture, and the fully set-staged store includes several artist interventions: a holographic entrance by Parratoro, murals painted by Martin Ron and elaborate wallpapers of Mercedes Costal.

Norman Rockwell

Australia

Minimax

Sponsored By

Description
With multiple stores across Australia, Minimax offers a comprehensive range of kitchen & lifestyle products embodying a compelling tagline: Entertaining Ideas for Your Life.

The Minimax vision is to create memorable customer experiences through curated storytelling of kitchen and lifestyle products. In the store design and aesthetics consideration is given to the lifestyle of customers, creating a warm and inviting shopping experience, with displays that inspire and encourage curiosity.

With long-serving, engaged staff, the Minimax in-store customer experience is at the forefront of service standards. Recognizing the importance of communications and staff participation, the company even developed its own sophisticated learning management system, “The Pantry,” managing compliance and consistency in communication across the store network.

Norman Rockwell

Austria

Cuisinarum

Sponsored By

Description
Cuisinarum is a premium retailer in Vienna offering products for cooking, baking and fine dining. Partnerships with over 200 brands and industry partners guarantee that Cuisinarum is able to provide a harmonized, comprehensive selection of the latest and most sought-after items – making it a one-stop shop for all things related to table culture and cooking.

There is an in-store chef available offering tips, demonstrations and inspiration to customers with product and theme presentations taking place weekly. Product knowledge is a key aspect of the Cuisinarum sales philosophy, and it only sells items that staff have personally tested and reviewed. Customers who make large purchases from the store get full service including delivery, installation and disposal of packaging materials.

Norman Rockwell

Azerbaijan

Royal Home

Sponsored By

Description

Being the leading luxury multi-brand chain in the region, Royal Home provides consumers with a wide range of dedicated art – tableware, home décor, kitchenware and accessories, from unique, carefully selected brands.

The Royal Home flagship store opened in September 2008. Perfectly located in an active, densely populated district of Baku, the 1000 m² store features a “less is more” concept where the focus is on the products. It also offers a coffee shop/bar and a VIP room.

A special service concept by the company, Studio Royal Home, provides turn-key solutions and design concepts for living and working spaces. It also has created design concepts for various luxury properties in Azerbaijan.

Norman Rockwell

Belgium

Hopono

Sponsored By

Description

Built in a unique Art Nouveau auto shop from the 1920’s, Hopono is a family-run concept store with 600 m² of beautiful products, the largest concept store in Brussels. The store offers multifunctional lifestyle brands for everyone from young to old and with a large price range, the product selection covers kitchen, home, wellness, baby products and more.

Being ecologically conscious has been of key importance to Hopono from the very start of the store in 2011. The store is powered by solar panels, and the eco-friendly approach can be seen throughout the operations, from product selection to packaging materials and lighting and more – there is even a bike delivery service.

Norman Rockwell

Brazil

deezign

Sponsored By

Description
deezign is a phygital D2C collaborative platform and marketplace blending on-line and offline commerce experience. Its philosophy is about collaboration between brands: sharing tools, communication, media and showrooms, providing customers a unique, seamless, online-offline experience.

Each deezign guide-shop is a one-stop showroom where customers can experiment and choose products from more than 50 national and international brands present on its D2C platform.

The showroom in São Paulo is special in that all is built with deezign sellers’ products: whether it is the lighting, furniture, housewares, decorations, wallpapers, shelves or even the sound system and facade – any product or component of the showroom is a seller’s product to be sold.

Norman Rockwell

Canada

Cookery

Sponsored By

Description
Cookery is a specialty kitchenware store and cooking class studio focusing on the needs of passionate home cooks in urban neighborhoods. Cookery’s collection of both heirloom and everyday cookware, kitchen tools, bakeware, barware, dinnerware, serving ware and cookbooks is minimized to prioritize quality, value for money, innovation and superior design.

Cookery believes strongly in being truly involved in their local communities and building strong personal connections with their customers. For their cooking classes, Cookery’s in-house chefs build full three-to-four course class menus with Sommelier-paired wines that make the perfect date night or night out for foodie friends. As their tagline says, Cookery is Your source for inspiring cooking essentials.

Norman Rockwell

Colombia

Ambiente Living

Sponsored By

Description
With tagline The Iconic Housewares & Experiences Center, Ambiente Living is the first store of its kind in Colombia – combining a broad home and kitchen product offering with gastronomic and lifestyle experiences. From luxury furniture and unconventional lighting to plants, bold decoration and a complete line of kitchen and tableware, the product offering of Ambiente Living is inspired by iconic art and design from different aesthetics and historical time periods.

The store entices consumers with a multi-sensory experience that is inspiring and highly memorable: impactful visual displays, hearty cuisine, artisan perfumery, daily live musical performances, and immersive design services. Completing the unique offering are in-store lifestyle VIP events ranging from concerts to fashion shows to art gallery exhibitions.

 

Norman Rockwell

Denmark

KJEPS Bolighus

Sponsored By

Description

Started as a 50 m² furniture shop in 1952, KJEPS Bolighus is today a 4000 m² one-stop shop for decoration and all practical things for the home, a curated selection of known-to-be-good products. The focus is on kitchen appliances, tableware and gifts, but the store also features furniture and bedding and branded specialist shop-in-shop concepts for hardware and lighting.

A family store in its 3rd generation, KJEPS Bolighus is a shop to inspire and offer ideas. The company sees value in staff happiness and as the result, can take pride in employees with a good mood and knowledge.

Norman Rockwell

France

TOC

Sponsored By

Description
TOC is a network of 20 city center stores throughout France specializing in kitchen equipment and utensils. There are nearly 3,000 products on offer, from the best brands in the sector – all that one needs to enjoy cooking, for both beginners and experienced chefs in search of perfection.

Everything TOC does tells the story about passion for cooking, which they share in regular store events introducing new products and flavors and in specialist food magazines in collaboration with culinary influencers. Many of the employees have a culinary background, and the expertise in cooking is communicated also by the store staff “uniform” – Parisian bistro style aprons.

Norman Rockwell

Germany

Pecht Shoppingwelt

Sponsored By

Description
Founded in 1872 originally as a saddlery, upholsterer and upholstery shop, Pecht Shoppingwelt is “the inspiring shopping experience for the whole family.” The Living World accounts for 520 m² of the total of 7300 m² of retail space, offering products for kitchen and table, gift articles and more, a mix of trendy and sustainable brands.

The focus of Pecht is specifically on sustainability. The comprehensive sustainability strategy ranges from products – the company even has its own “Sustainability Tested” logo for products – and staff training to paper-reduced administration and the company’s own catering. In addition to its own sustainability initiatives, Pecht launches and supports regional sustainability projects.

Norman Rockwell

India

Home Centre

Sponsored By

Description
True to its tagline, Homes begin with us, Home Centre has continuously strived to bring arguably the largest assortment of household products in India, aligned with international trends but at affordable pricing. The product story, together with the brand values of aspiration and affordability, is communicated to customers via creatively & aesthetically appealing visual merchandising and displays.

Home Centre offers a unique Omni-channel experience for its customers, which blurs out channel engagement through the buying decision-making process and continuously engages and helps customers choose the right product from anywhere and everywhere. This innovative “journey” was developed by Home Centre and has been remarked by Google as unique and one-of-its-kind in global forums.

Norman Rockwell

Ireland

Jono's House & Home

Sponsored By

Description
The aim of Jono’s House & Home is to offer a comprehensive range of products for all home and gift requirements, providing first-class in-store shopping experience and service. The leading homewares store in Monaghan, Jono’s initially opened in the Monaghan Shopping Centre in 1997, but later took the risk to expand the store by relocating to a premises three times larger where they were able to increase stock across all departments. They are always looking for unique and different products and with that are recognized for their offering, featuring unique products that are not available by other companies in the area.
Norman Rockwell

Italy

Arte e Forma

Sponsored By

Description
Established in 1990, Arte & Forma is an interiors and lifestyle store with unique offerings providing a multisensory shopping experience. Furniture, furnishing accessories, gift items and design objects are showcased in spaces that are personalized by the use of sounds, colors, lights and particular fragrances communicating the history and story of the featured products.

Arte & Forma’s motto is to live the change and the innovation, the design and constant research. They add new unique products to the selection daily and with that, there is constant restyling taking place, both in-store and in the online store, giving the customers an impression of newness and exclusivity.

Norman Rockwell

Japan

JR NAGOYA TAKASHIMAYA

Sponsored By

Description
With the goal of creating the most exciting shopping area in Japan, JR Nagoya Takashimaya is a department store that incorporates the double-faceted store concept of “sometimes a city, sometimes a forest,” aiming to blend urban sophistication (city) and natural relaxation (forest).

The store’s home department is a space where customers can visualize their ideal living room and kitchen. There is a kitchen counter that doubles as a lesson space, a “premium zone” lining up quality items and a “marché zone” for foods to replicate the ideal living room and kitchen. With lifestyle-themed displays and demonstration areas at various locations, customers can feel the action of the shopping floors and have a fun, hands-on shopping experience all the times.

Norman Rockwell

Kenya

Vituzote.com Kenya

Sponsored By

Description
As one of the first pioneers of e-commerce in Kenya in 2014, vituzote.com has grown its online business to serve the rest of East Africa and has several shops and showrooms. It provides a seamless experience between online shopping and brick & mortar and is now a brand name and go-to store in Kenya for excellent quality kitchen and dining items.

The key message associated with VituZote’s marketing approach continues to be convenience, choice, quality and affordability. Through its e-commerce business model, it offers visually inspiring browsing, compelling merchandising, easy product discovery and attractive prices, supported by the retail stores that communicate trust and allow customers to experience the products, highlighting new arrivals and in-season products.

Norman Rockwell

Netherlands

Vanderveen’s Department Store

Sponsored By

Description
Celebrating a major jubilee, 125 years in business this year, Vanderveen’s Department Store is the second largest department retailer in the Netherlands. With the tagline So much more than a shop, its corporate goals and philosophy are to provide the people of the Northern-Netherlands with a broad range of quality goods and services through 60 synergetic, diligently grouped shop-in-shop specialists.

The ‘Koken & Tafelen’ (cooking and dining) department of Vanderveen’s features products for the kitchen and table, a balanced, high-quality and well-presented assortment, as well as an in-store kitchen for live cooking. Close cooperation with related shops of the department store enable collective promotions, visual merchandising, staff training and more, bringing competitive advantages and guaranteeing high quality and excellence.

Norman Rockwell

Norway

Illums Bolighus

Sponsored By

Description
Scandinavia ́s leading department store within design, lifestyle, fashion and home furnishings for the quality conscious customer, Illums Bolighus has the tagline which tells it all: The Royal Warrant: “By appointment to her majesty the Queen of Denmark.”

Illums Bolighus focuses on Scandinavian designer brands with input from world-known brands. The focus is on in-store customer experience, using specialists – designers and vendors are present in-store to meet customers and tell the story of their products. The first Illums Bolighus store in Norway opened in 2006 and now features five locations. It offers not just nice products and celebrated designers but also signature store events from wine courses and tastings to art exhibitions.

Norman Rockwell

Poland

Eurofirany

Sponsored By

Description
EUROFIRANY is a company with over 30 years of experience on the textile market in Poland and abroad. What sets EUROFIRANY apart from the competition is the ability to carry out individual projects for customers. In-store, the focus is on the highest quality of service, with qualified decorators working with customers and also offering at-home consultations.

The EUROFIRANY store in CH Westfield Arkadia in Warsaw is modern and unique in style – minimalist design, in which white blends with wood elements, delights with its simplicity and functionality. The customer can easily find decorations and accessories that match the furnishings and the style in which the interiors in their home have been decorated.

Norman Rockwell

Portugal

El Corte Ingles

Sponsored By

Description
Established in 2001, El Corte Inglés has two stores in Portugal. The home products offering of this iconic department store includes everything for the home, from tableware and cook & bakeware, to kitchen utensils, home organization products, bedding, furniture, kitchen & household electrics and more.

El Corte Inglés has based its business model on an attractive, wide and varied commercial proposal, incorporating pioneering products. The company’s principles are based on innovation, constant adaptation to the new trends and needs of society, range of choice, specialization, quality, personalized attention, differentiation, service and good value for money to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.

Norman Rockwell

Spain

El Corte Ingles

Sponsored By

Description
Established in 1940, El Corte Inglés has 80 stores all over Spain. The home products offering of this iconic department store includes everything for the home, from tableware and cook & bakeware, to kitchen utensils, home organization products, bedding, furniture, kitchen & household electrics and more.

El Corte Inglés has based its business model on an attractive, wide and varied commercial proposal, incorporating pioneering products. The company’s principles are based on innovation, constant adaptation to the new trends and needs of society, range of choice, specialization, quality, personalized attention, differentiation, service and good value for money to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.

Norman Rockwell

Switzerland

Vanoli AG

Sponsored By

Description
Vanoli is a specialist shop for dining, table and living culture and stands for enjoyment at all levels. How it combines a specialist shop for dining and table culture and a Grill Store with Event Academy under one roof is unique, and the two business branches really complement each other.

The in-store theme worlds are regularly restaged and what is really special, Vanoli produces its own dry-aged beef by order for its customers in a cabinet in the middle of the shop – broadcasted live online. Vanoli is constantly developing new, seasonal seminar offerings, events ranging from classic grilling and cooking classes to special smoker courses, wine tastings, pasta shows and more. In 2022, Vanoli sold more than 2,000 seminar places!

Norman Rockwell

Turkey

KORKMAZ

Sponsored By

Description
The 57 KORKMAZ stores in Turkey are a showcase for stainless steel kitchenware, tableware and electrical household appliances produced by KORKMAZ.

There is a special stand in all of the stores for the Turkish coffee machine (also manufactured by KORKMAZ) for customers to prepare and taste Turkish coffee, a treat that has a very special place in the Turkish culture. The stores also have a fresh scent specially prepared for KORKMAZ. A QR code including information on all products on offer with their prices is located at the entrance of the store and next to the cash register, for an easy shopping experience.

Norman Rockwell

United Kingdom

Morleys Group

Sponsored By

Description

Established in 1927 and with eight stores now, the Morleys Group is acknowledged as the leading independent department store group in the United Kingdom. With a carefully curated product offering and providing unsurpassed service to their local communities, the stores celebrate the company heritage, each with its own special flair. For example, at Elys in Wimbledon all messaging is conveyed in a theatrical, tongue-in-cheek manner, which “speaks” to its community of customers, offering escapism, excitement and education.

The Morleys Group stores pay special attention to their loyal customers and that shows – loyalty percentage sales are regularly at 55%.

Norman Rockwell

Uruguay

LA IBERICA

Sponsored By

Description

Established in 1892, La Iberica is located in the Historic Quartier of Montevideo – in a building built in 1850, featuring a lot of the original materials that give the store a special character. The 4-story, 1350 m² store offers a curated selection of 5,000 home products from around the globe and by local artisans. Known as the tastemaker in Uruguay, La Iberica mixes tradition with state-of-the-art in a unique and timeless way.

The recipe for La Iberica’s 130 years of success in business is to combine a customer-oriented service with permanent innovation in products. They introduce in average at least 10 new products per month, carefully chosen with the criteria of timeless beauty, functionality, innovation and good quality.

Norman Rockwell

USA - Giftwares

A. Dodson's

Sponsored By

Description
A. Dodson’s is not just a store – it’s a destination, a shopper’s oasis offering trendy clothing, distinctive home furnishings, exquisite gifts and antiques of yesteryear. With a rustic chic setting, the shop is unpredictable, quirky and alluring, yet serious about style, offering something for all the senses. Customers are inspired by movie-set like and awe-inspiring seasonal displays and using ordinary things in extraordinary ways – with the same visual WOW experience also provided online and via various social media channels.

For A. Dodson’s, offering a friendly and welcoming shopping experience is of highest importance, and so is supporting its community through the Round Up program, which so far has raised over US$200,000 for local charities.

Norman Rockwell

USA - Housewares

Faraday's Kitchen Store

Sponsored By

Description

With tagline Feeding Your Passion for Cooking, the mission of Faraday’s Kitchen Store is to deliver an interactive consultative retail experience, offering each customer the ultimate in Texas hospitality.

Faraday’s works from a Good, Better, Best product strategy for their core product categories of cutlery, cookware, bakeware, kitchen tools and grills. In addition to the over 8,000 square feet (close to 750 m²) store, there is a comprehensive online business with over 8,000 products. The focus of Faraday’s is on personalized service and customer education – the sales associates all share a passion for cooking and there are events and cooking classes delivered by more than 20 highly trained chefs, with over 150 events a year.

How to Participate

National gia sponsors make evaluation forms and instructions on how to participate available to any home and housewares retailers wanting to be considered a gia candidate in his/her country. gia candidates must be a financially stable home and housewares retailer being in business for at least two years. An evaluation form must be completed that addresses the following retail business criteria:

  • Overall mission statement and strategy
  • Store design and layout
  • Visual merchandising, displays and window displays
  • Marketing, advertising and promotions
  • Customer service and staff training
  • Innovation

In addition, gia candidates must submit a portfolio with visuals of their best merchandising settings.

All national winners and global honorees are extensively honored during The Inspired Home Show®, including at the gia awards dinner and at a special gia display at the Show. In addition, gia winners can receive extensive publicity in the national and global housewares trade press.

Retailers located in countries with a national gia sponsor are encouraged to contact their respective sponsor to be considered for the national gia award.

Retailers located in countries without a sponsoring trade publication should contact Tina Genualdi of the IHA for advice on how they can participate in the gia competition.

Watch the 2023 gia Excellence in Retailing Awards!

Our Expert Jurors

Wolfgang Gruschwitz

Gruschwitz GmbH

Scott Kohno - 2020 <em>gia</em> Retail Juror
Scott Kohno

Retail Element LLC

Anne Kong - 2020 <em>gia</em> Retail Juror
Anne Kong

A + D Kong

Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen

ReisbyConsult ApS