Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
What More UK has just returned from making its debut as an exhibitor at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago.
The supplier shipped £5,000 worth of its Wham brand goods to the US to fill its 200sq m stand, from plastic storage boxes and food containers, to buckets, bins, bakeware and kitchen utensils. At the end of the four-day show on March 21, it donated the entire contents of its stand to the American Salvation Army to help fund its work with homeless people and families in crisis.
What More UK director Tony Grimshaw said: “We had a fantastic and really busy four days at the Chicago show, making new contacts and meeting buyers from around the world.
“Being able to donate all our Wham products to the Salvation Army at the end of the show was a real bonus for us. They do fantastic work helping people get their lives back on track and some of those receiving help actually came along to help us dismantle the stand and pack up the goods at the end of the show. They were great people and good fun to work with.”
Exhibiting at the show was a first for What More UK, but Tony said it exceeded all expectations.
“Although we’ve attended other major trade shows for years, the Chicago one was a complete unknown for us. But our 10-strong sales team was kept really busy, working in rotation over the four days.
“Our baggage allowance was severely tested on the flight home, bringing back reams of invaluable contact information and new customer inquiries gathered on the stand. Now begins the huge job of converting contacts into customers and inquiries into orders.”
What More UK already exports to 64 countries around the globe, but is continually seeking to extend its worldwide network of retail customers. “We had a great welcome from the Americans and the tremendous help we received from the organisers of the Chicago show made the whole project very close to stress-free,” said Tony. “It felt great to fly the flag for British manufacturing.”
What More UK’s stand at the Chicago show, packed with the Wham brand products whcih were later donated to the American Salvation Army
