Retail Profile: Fante’s Kitchen Shop
Location: Philadelphia’s 9th St. Italian Market Founded: 1906 Owners: Mariella Giovannucci Esposito, Nick Giovannucci, Daniele Giovannucci Square footage: 4,000 sq. ft. Own or Rent: Rent A Philadelphia institution since 1906, Fante’s remains a family-run business as owner Mariella Esposito handed off control of the highly-regarded kitchenware store to her daughter, Liana Ottaviani, last year. And she is a proud mama. “I […]
Stats: Shopping Small is Growing
It’s almost Shop Small Season. American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 as a marketing effort to boost both its business and small, local retailers at a time when the industry was in recession. The idea was to give those retailers support, after the Black Friday mass market retail rush, by promoting the Saturday after […]
Trends: Home Cooking Raises Cookbook Sales
Even though everyone scrolls through internet sites in search of recipes, cookbooks aren’t going away. In fact, retailers who sell cookbooks will be happy to know that cookbook sales are rising at a good clip. According to The NPD Group cookbook sales grew 21 percent in the first half 2018 compared to the same period […]
Blogging the Way to Sales
Goodbye newspaper ads. For many retailers blogging has become the new way to reach consumers. And for good reason. Companies who blog receive 97 percent more links to their websites, according to Hubspot. Blogs have also been rated as the fifth most trusted source for accurate information and (with quality content) help extend a store’s […]
Retail Profile: Now You’re Cooking
Retailer: Now You’re Cooking Location: Bath, Maine Founded: 2000 Owners: Mike and Betsy Fear Square footage: 3,000 sq ft Rent or own: Rent When Mike and Betsy Fear first started thinking about opening a kitchenware store in this historic coastal Maine city, they sat down with the late kitchenware guru Bob Coviello, the founder of the H.T.I. Buying Group, […]
Stats: Generation Z Gears Up
How does Generation Z stack up as future consumers? According to a recent Mintel report, Generation Z (ages 12-22) is likely to be health conscious, interested in cooking and craving international cuisine. You can thank their parents. Traits of this lifestyle group include: Influenced by parents who are “on the lookout for sugar”— 25 percent of […]
Trends: Generation Z Becoming Creative Cooks
Just when you thought you had figured out what Millennials want, comes Generation Z. This future generation of housewares shoppers, ages 12-22, is diverse and tech-savvy according to a newly released survey from Mintel, and is likely to “impact the future of the food and drink industry” by increasing the reach of international cuisine, eating […]
Looking for Labor
One of the biggest challenges facing retailers in a growing economy is a shortage of workers. Independent kitchenware retailers are no different. In one of the tightest labor markets in years, stores around the country are struggling to hire and keep staff and many find the experience frustrating, especially as the summer was nearing. “The employment […]
Retail Profile: Kitchenworks & Gourmet Gifts
Retail Profile: Kitchenworks & Gourmet Gifts Location: Litchfield, Ct. Founded: 1979 Owner: Elizabeth Ericksen Square footage: 1,000 sq. ft. When Elizabeth Ericksen bought the long-established Kitchenworks in 2008, she also took over a store with a fairly basic approach to retailing. Her work was cut out for her. “We changed the layout and way things […]
Stats: Parents Fear Higher Back-to-School Costs
Many gourmet retailers look to back-to-school sales as a nice little bump for the bottom line before the fourth quarter. Think fancy lunch boxes and water bottles for the younger crowd and starter sets of tabletop and kitchenware for those setting off to college for the first time. Back-to-School is also a good time to […]
