National Retail Federation Forecasts Holiday Sales to Increase 3.7%

The National Retail Federation announced it expects sales in November and December (excluding autos, gas and restaurant sales) to increase a solid 3.7 percent to $630.5 billion—significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent. Holiday sales in 2015 are expected to represent approximately 19 percent of the retail industry's annual sales of $3.2 trillion. Additionally, NRF is forecasting online sales to increase between 6 and 8 percent to as much as $105 billion.

"With several months of solid retail sales behind us, we're heading into the all-important holiday season fully expecting to see healthy growth," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "However, while economic indicators have improved in several areas, Americans remain somewhat torn between their desire and their ability to spend; the fact remains consumers still have the weight of the economy on their minds, further explaining the complex retail spending environment we are seeing right now. We expect families to spend prudently and deliberately, though still less constrained than what we saw even two years ago."

"Potential disruptions from yet another government shutdown in mid-December and a slower pace of job creation and income growth are just a few key factors that will impact holiday shoppers' spending this year," continued Shay. "Price, value and even timing will all play a role in how, when, where and why people shop over the holiday season. Retailers will be competitive not only on price, but on digital initiatives, store hours, product offerings and much more."

Holiday sales in 2014 increased 4.1 percent over the previous year.

IHFC Accessory Floors Welcome New Tenants for Spring High Point Market

Building on the success of the comprehensive remerchandising efforts for IHFC's accessory floors, buyers this spring will find shopping for home accessories even easier and more convenient. Spring 2015 High Point Market, which runs April 18-23, features more design-focused resources, including Bulova Clocks and Daleno (curated by Perrell Fine Art), as well as new fourth floor tenants Broadway Home Décor, Harp & Finial, Simon Blake Interiors, Stylecraft and Style N Living.

The conveniently located IHFC Accessory floors 2, 3 and 4 are devoted solely to the accessory category, including accent furniture, rugs, lighting, wall art, decorative accessories and more. The easy-to-navigate space groups similar styles and price-points together, making for a compelling and user-friendly buyer experience.

Commerce & Design Building Features 200 Lines Under One Roof for April Market

The Commerce & Design (C&D) building, with its striking exterior façade and splash of red, is a long-time standout at High Point Market. Along with visual appeal, the building has much to offer buyers and designers. Featuring over 200 product lines of home furnishings, accessories and much more, C&D offers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience throughout 9 floors of showroom space at High Point Market.

Look for lines from Aerin Lauder, Alexa Hampton, Thomas O'Brien, Barbara Barry, E.F. Chapman and Suzanne Kasler with Visual Comfort; lines from Tobi Fairley, Charlotte Moss, Suzanne Kasler, Jamie Drake, Thom Filicia, Richard Mishaan, Isabelle de Borchgrave and Mariette Himes Gomez with Soicher-Marin; as well as companies Ralph Lauren Home Lighting, Brownstone Furniture, Sarreid, Spectra Home and more.

Mitt Romney Talks Business and Politics at 2015 International Home + Housewares Show

The United States has the ability and potential to lead the world on many of today's largest global challenges, but it needs to take definitive action on those issues and could benefit from more of a business mindset, Gov. Mitt Romney said today at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor addressed attendees at the Show's Industry Breakfast/IHA Annual Meeting this morning.

Romney opened his remarks by pointing out "I spent my life doing what you're doing now.....business. And frankly, it's what I expected to being doing now. But as you know, my career has taken a few detours." After a stint with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, his time as Massachusetts governor, and his unsuccessful run for President, Romney said he "came away more optimistic and encouraged about America. You see people who aren't making the nightly news....you see all kinds of ordinary people who are working hard every day. (Americans) are good people...a big-hearted people...hard-working people. We're risk-takers, we're entrepreneurial and we're patriotic.

"The only thing that could keep us from remaining the leading nation in the world would be if we fail to make any progress on the major challenges of our time," he said. He went on to detail the challenges of most concern: the national debt, global warming, poverty, education, income equality and our military edge in the world. On the national debt: "Clearly this is a challenge of monumental proportion. But neither (political) party has come up with a clear proposal for how to address it." On poverty, "I believe this is one of the greatest challenges certainly for the people involved, but also for our economy and for the global economy."

More Global than ever before, Ambiente 2015 touts 4,811 exhibitors from 94 countries

Trends and new products in the Living, Dining and Giving sections, as well as an impressive programme of events with famous stars and designers, were the defining features of Ambiente 2015, which closed its doors on February 17 with an increase in the number of exhibitors and a record level of internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides. For five days, 4,811 exhibitors from 94 countries (2014: 4,749 exhibitors from 89 countries) presented their latest products to the global consumer-goods market. Altogether, 135,000 buyers from 152 countries made their way to Frankfurt for the trade fair (2014: 143,789 from 161 countries).

This year, the proportion of trade visitors from outside Germany reached 53 percent (2014: 51 percent)— more than ever before. The top ten visitor nations after Germany were Italy, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Spain, the U.S., Switzerland, China, Turkey and Poland. There was an increase in the number of visitors from important European consumer-goods markets, such as Denmark, France, Portugal and Spain. Above average increases were also noted in the number of visitors from the Middle East and Asia, especially from the world's most populous consumer-goods markets, China and India. Due to the prevailing political situation, there were, as expected, fewer visitors from Russia and the Ukraine.

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Shiny Creations Company Lights Up the Gift Industry

Shiny Creations Company is a new creative entity that aims to connect stores and collectors across the country with artisans and handcrafted items from near and far. Recently launched, the company offers a select number of imported items with mid-range price points but also offers higher-end items that are handmade in the Seattle area. Shiny Creations Company focuses on promoting the work of Pacific Northwest artists and gives them the opportunity to connect with buyers from the Midwest and East Coast who may not travel to the Seattle trade shows. Shiny Creations Company's flagship product lines include Galileo Thermometers, ornaments by Chris Steffens Glass, and greeting cards featuring proprietary artwork and can be seen first in April at the Museum Store Association Show in booth 644. The creative team at Shiny Creations Company is headed by Seattle artist Angie Whitney who has been working in the domestic and import wholesale gift trade industry since 2003.