ROSEMONT, Ill. (August 26, 2024)— Pooh Vichidvongsa, senior vice president of pOpshelf, will offer the retailer keynote at the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession 2024 (CHESS), taking place on Sept. 24 and 25 in Rosemont, Illinois. The fireside chat-style session will close out the first day of CHESS.
In October 2020, Dollar General announced pOpshelf as a new concept with an on-trend and affordable mix of products, including household, home décor, entertaining, health and beauty products. The network now includes more than 200 stores in 21 states. Vichidvongsa, a veteran home merchant for Dollar General, will take CHESS attendees inside the pOpshelf inception strategy and provide exciting future plans.
CHESS is IHA’s annual strategic and networking event held exclusively for industry leaders. It is designed for chief officers of all IHA member companies and their top decision makers and features sessions on critical issues affecting housewares. This year’s theme, “Prescribing Lasting Relief for Today’s Pain Points,” will explore the resourceful opportunities that these business challenges offer.
Vichidvongsa was named senior vice president of pOpshelf earlier this year, leading pOpshelf’s merchandising, marketing and store operations. She has been with Dollar General since 2008, holding roles of increasing responsibility from pricing analyst to vice president, DMM for home and holiday and vice president and DMM over health and beauty. While leading the home and holiday categories, she was instrumental in the creation and rollout of Dollar General’s non-consumables initiative, which generated insights that helped lead to pOpshelf’s inception. Vichidvongsa was named to Involve’s Empower Future Leaders Role Model List in 2024, Mass Market Retailer’s Most Influential Women List in 2023 and INvolve’s HERoes 100 Future Leaders Role Model List in 2022.
Other CHESS sessions include:
- The annual Housewares Hot Seat—Key industry leaders explore how they are developing and implementing new strategies to tackle the latest market challenges and optimize the next big opportunities.
- IHA Government Affairs Update—IHA’s government affairs representatives Craig Brightup, CEO, The Brightup Group and Rafe Morrissey, president, Morrissey Strategic Partners, will provide an update on regulatory and legislative issues.
- The Impact of Ocean Carrier Volatility on Shipping—Craig Akers, executive director of the International Housewares Shippers Association, and Craig Brightup, IHA’s government affairs representative, will answer questions and discuss federal initiatives to address ocean carrier issues.
- The State of Retail: How to Leverage Opportunity and Manage Risk— Scott Friedman, chief credit officer, and Jackie Mulligan, vice president, of Pulse Ratings, IHA’s credit group vendor, will take a look at the factors driving top line pressure and steps being taken by several retailers to offset a declining sales base.
- Rediscovering India: Sourcing Opportunities and On-Ground Realities—Nishant Verman, CEO of India sourcing agency Bzaar, will examine India’s sourcing potential, challenges and opportunities for the housewares industry.
- IHA’s Government Affairs Update Part 2: The 2024 Election & Policy. Craig Brightup and Rafe Morrissey of IHA’s Government Affairs Office will examine how the outcomes of White House and Congressional races could shape federal policy impacting the housewares business in 2025 and beyond.
- Intellectual Property in the Age of AI—Intellectual property attorney Michael Graif of Brown Rudnick will explain how suppliers can protect and enforce their intellectual property effectively in the age of AI.
- Turning Insights Into Action—Circana’s Joe Derochowski, vice president & home industry advisor, and Lora Morsovillo, president, Home Durables Practice, will review key trends and offer an industry outlook and then illustrate how different functions of a company can act on these insights and leverage them throughout the year.
- Driving Incremental Revenue and Efficiencies with Cutting-Edge Retail Media Measurement— Aaron Conant, co-founder & chief digital strategist, BWG Connect, and Meghan Corron, CEO, Clerdata, will explore how housewares industry leaders can leverage advanced measurement techniques to drive significant revenue growth and operational efficiencies.
CHESS is sponsored by Oracle Netsuite in collaboration with Myers-Hollam; Houlihan Lokey; Creative Planning Business Services; Krunchbox; and Monk Tree Partners. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.
To register for CHESS 2024 or for more information on the program, go to https://www.housewares.org/exec-networking/chess/
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EDITOR’S NOTE: If you would like to attend CHESS please contact Debbie Teschke.
The International Housewares Association is the 86-year-old voice of the housewares industry. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market (TheInspiredHomeShow.com), and offers members a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy; export assistance; industry and consumer trends through the IHA Market Watch Report; executive management peer groups; group buying discounts on business solutions services; direct-to-consumer engagement through TheInspiredHome.com; and an independent news and information platform through HomePageNews.com.
