The 2023 Global Innovation Awards (gia) recognizes 33 retailers from 32 countries for their merchandising excellence.
The national gia winners will be celebrated during a special gala on Saturday, March 4 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago.
At that gala, five Global gia honorees will be named, as well as winners of the Martin M. Pegler Award for visual merchandising excellence the Digital Commerce award.
The gia program is sponsored and organized by The Inspired Home Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA).
The national winners are featured during The Inspired Home Show with banners and a special display in the Grand Concourse Walkway at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
Meet the gia retail winners from across the globe:
Argentina – Tiendas Landmark, Martinez
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 Tiendas Landmark store was designed to be an immersive experience that invites the customer to tour – like in a small town – buildings, streets and 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.
Australia – Minimax, Southbank VIC
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.
Austria – Cuisinarum, Vienna
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 to offer 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.
Azerbaijan – Royal Home, Baku
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-square-meter 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 turnkey solutions and design concepts for living and working spaces. It also has created design concepts for various luxury properties in Azerbaijan.
Belgium – Hopono, Brussels
Built in a unique Art Nouveau auto shop from the 1920s, 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.
Brazil – Deezign, São Paulo
Deezign is a phygital D2C collaborative platform and marketplace blending online and offline commerce experiences. Its philosophy is about collaboration between brands: sharing tools, communication, media and showrooms, providing customers with 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.
Canada – Cookery, Toronto ON
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 its local communities and building strong personal connections with its 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.
Colombia – Ambiente Living, Medellin
With the 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.
Denmark – KJEPS Bolighus, Næstved
Started as a 50-square-meter furniture shop in 1952, KJEPS Bolighus is today a 4000-square-meter 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.
France – TOC, Paris
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 of its 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 their expertise in cooking is communicated also by the store staff’s “uniform” – Parisian bistro style aprons.
Germany - Pecht Shoppingwelt, Bad Neustadt an der Saale
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 kitchens and tables, 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.
India – Home Centre, Bengaluru
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.
Ireland - Jono's House & Home, Monaghan
The aim of Jono’s House & Home is to offer a comprehensive range of products for all home and gift requirements, providing a 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 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.
Italy – Arte & Forma, Soleto
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.
Japan - JR NAGOYA TAKASHIMAYA, Nagoya City
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 time.
Kenya - Vituzote.com Kenya, Nairobi
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.
Netherlands - Vanderveen’s Department Store – Assen, Assen
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 enables collective promotions, visual merchandising, staff training and more, bringing competitive advantages and guaranteeing high quality and excellence.
Norway – Illums Bolighus, Oslo
Scandinavia ́s leading department store within design, lifestyle, fashion and home furnishings for the quality-conscious customer, Illums Bolighus has a tagline that 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.
Poland – Eurofirany, Żywiec
Eurofirany is a company with over 30 years of experience in 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.
Portugal – El Corte Inglés, Lisbon
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.
Spain – El Corte Inglés, Madrid
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.
Switzerland – Vanoli AG, Thalwil, Zürich
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!
Turkey – KORKMAZ, Istanbul
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 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.
United Kingdom - Morleys Group, Wimbledon
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’s 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%.
Uruguay – La Iberica, Montevideo
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-square-meter 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, on average, at least 10 new products per month, carefully chosen with the criteria of timeless beauty, functionality, innovation and good quality.
USA – Giftware Retailers – A. Dodson’s, Suffolk VA
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 the 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.
USA – Housewares Retailers – Faraday’s Kitchen Store, Austin TX
With the 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.
