Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Created to provide a unified trade marketplace for the housewares industry, the International Housewares Association (IHA) is celebrating 80 years of bringing manufacturers and buyers together.
The Association is the result of mergers with competing groups throughout the years. It started as the House Furnishing Manufacturers Association of America (HFMAA) and held its first housewares trade show in 1939.
In 1940, HFMAA changed its name to the Housewares Manufacturers Association (HMA) after merging with a rival show organiser, the National House Furnishings Manufacturers Association.
In 1946, HMA merged with the New York Housewares Manufacturers Association to create the National Housewares Manufacturers Association (NHMA) and operated the Housewares Show in 1947.
The NHMA name served the association until 2000, when its board of directors, recognising the global nature of the housewares industry, changed the corporate name to the International Housewares Association.
IHA president & ceo Phil Brandl said: “Through the decades, IHA has been led by board of directors and professional staff that are committed to maximising the success of the global home products industry and focused on providing value to the retailer/supplier relationship.
“We are proud to serve the industry and appreciate the continued support from members and retailers alike. We look forward to many more years of being the voice of the housewares industry.”
IHA sponsors the International Home + Housewares Show, which is held in Chicago every March, and offers its 1,700 member companies a range of services including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, State-of-the-Industry reports, point-of-sale and consumer panel data, executive management peer groups and group buying discounts on business solutions services. For more information about IHA, its services and the International Home + Housewares Show, visit www.housewares.org.
*A series on IHA’s blog commemorates 80 years of serving the housewares industry. with a historical timeline and individual articles spotlighting memorable moments of the Show’s early years, at https://blog.housewares.org/category/education/housewares-history
