Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
With just days to go until the deadline, key industry figures are urging retailers and suppliers to enter the 2015 Housewares Innovation Awards.
Organised by Housewares Magazine and www.HousewaresLive.net, the Awards aim to celebrate innovation in the housewares industry. There are two categories: the Retail Awards reward businesses that go the extra mile, while the Product Awards commend the most exceptional housewares products launched in the past 12 months.
Six judges have been signed up to evaluate the retailer entries. They are: David Parkes, controller of housewares for buying group AIS (Associated Independent Stores); Patrick Gardner, managing director of housewares supplier T&G Woodware; Denise Rogers, company director of cookshop chain Kitchenmonger; Matt Innes, sales director for the Beam Group (exclusive distributors for KitchenAid, Magimix, Sage by Heston Blumenthal, Cuisinart and Bio-Chef alongside exclusive ranges from Dualit and Krups); and TV chef Malcolm Harradine and his wife, customer liaison director Mel Harradine.
Seven judges, with decades of culinary experience between them, have been recruited to assess the product entries. They are: Sarah Wood, CHA Retailer of the Year and co-owner of Trevor Mottram cookshop in the Kent town of Tunbridge Wells; ‘Great British Bake Off’ contestant and author Cathryn Dresser, who was the face of Pyrex National Baking Week 2014; Trisha Schofield, head of testing for the Good Housekeeping Institute; chef, culinary innovator, TV presenter, author and British Ambassador for Food, Drink and Tourism Alan Coxon; Sally Fitzgerald, editor of the ‘Food Heaven’ series of consumer magazines and TV chef Malcolm Harradine and his wife, customer liaison director Mel Harradine.
The winners of the Innovation Awards will be announced during an evening ceremony held at Wokefield Park in Berkshire on Wednesday April 22 2015. This glittering event will follow The Housewares Conference, which takes place during the day at the same venue.
The Housewares Conference 2015 is designed to provide members of the housewares industry with ideas and inspiration, in an environment of shared experience and networking. Now in its sixth year, and chaired by BHETA (British Home Enhancement Trade Association) home enhancement executive director Will Jones, the day will comprise a series of presentations. The theme of the 2015 event is ‘Innovation’ and we have specifically selected speakers for their knowledge and experience of the housewares industry, who can share their success stories, practical solutions and winning strategies with delegates.
The line-up of speakers at The Housewares Conference so far includes Jeffrey Siegel, ceo of Lifetime Brands; Carol Paris, director general of the HTA (Horticultural Trades Association); celebrated homeware designer Julie Dodsworth; and Tom Gill, creative director of Creative Media Solutions (CMS).
The Awards will be presented by globally acclaimed celebrity chef Ken Hom OBE, who is widely regarded as the world’s leading authority in Chinese cookery. Delegates at the conference will have the chance to meet Ken on the DKB Household stand during the day, where he will be discussing his range of cookware and signing copies of his recipe book.
The deadline for entries to the 2015 Housewares Innovation Awards has been extended to Monday November 24. To download your entry and booking forms, visit www.housewaresconference.co.uk. For more information, contact Laurie Marrington, sales manager of Housewares Magazine and www.HousewaresLive.net, at lmarrington@datateam.co.uk.
