Oct 23, 2012

Gourmet & Housewares Momentum Continues for January Market in Atlanta

Gourmet & Housewares continues as one of the fastest-growing segments of the retail landscape. As the nation’s new home for housewares and a long-standing gourmet resource, AmericasMart® features the best-known and respected brand names in the gourmet industry during The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®, Jan. 9-16, 2013. Temporary exhibits will be open Jan. 11-15.

Momentum in the AmericasMart Gourmet & Housewares category—housed in Building 2 and Building 2 WestWing, plus a separate Temporaries collection—continues to accelerate as buyers and exhibitors prepare to source and showcase the best in new products in the home and gift industry’s first and most important market of 2013.

Three of the most respected names in cookware – All-Clad, Calphalon and Le Creuset – have new or expanding showrooms on Floor 8 of Building 2 WestWing for the January Market.

All-Clad, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of stainless steel and copper-core pots and pans, is growing into a bigger space in the product center to be able to showcase more diverse products.

Calphalon, specialists in enameled cast-iron pans, will debut its first corporate showroom in Atlanta.

Le Creuset, best known for its cast iron products, will expand to a 1,400-square-foot showroom. Testament to the company’s success in Atlanta, it’s the third expansion in five years at AmericasMart.

Other notable exhibitors complementary to the housewares industry that are launching new collections and opening new showrooms include:
· Light & Living, founded 35 years ago in the Netherlands, opens its first U.S. showroom for the January market. Light & Living, known throughout the world for home lighting, tabletop accessories and gifts, will light up Floor 9 of Building 2 for the January market. On 9, Light & Living will join renowned companies such as Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton, Lenox, NAO/Lladro and Tyler Candle Company.

· Royal Copenhagen, a classic tabletop line that originated in Denmark, returns to AmericasMart as a prominent player on Floor 8 with a full collection of tabletop products and sought-after collectibles.

One area that continues to gain strength in multiple retail channels is gourmet foods as consumers increasingly explore cuisine innovations profiled in the large and growing food and nutrition media community led by the Food Network and other print and broadcast outlets. One long-term AmericasMart exhibitor – Stonewall Kitchen, Ltd. – is expanding its showroom to meet the demand. Robert Rothschild Farm, Salem Baking and Plentiful Pantry are all expanding their lines as the Gourmet product company anchors on Floor 8 of Building 2 WestWing.

The Gourmet Temporaries will again be filled to capacity on Floor 2 of Building 2 WestWing with a full array of both favorite exhibitors and companies new to Atlanta markets. The Gourmet LUXE collection, housed in the adjacent lobby area, opened in July 2012 to rave reviews with a juried selection of high-end, luxury specialty food lines.

In support of the continually growing consumer enthusiasm for all things food and entertaining, the Floor 8, Building 2 WestWing Demonstration Kitchen is the centerpiece for multiple events. Popular experts show retailers product ideas and how to best present them in stores to drive sales. Two of the most anticipated:
· James Farmer of James Farmer Designs will bring life to his favorite recipes, which combine his grandmother’s traditional dishes with his passion for healthy contemporary taste. A book sale and signing will follow the 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10 event.
· Adam Richman, of Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America,” will be in the kitchen cooking with his personal touch on Saturday, Jan. 12 at noon.

About AmericasMart
AmericasMart Atlanta is the nation’s only global wholesale marketplace housing the world’s single-largest collection of home, gift, area rug and apparel merchandise. The largest of AmericasMart’s 14 annual Markets and shows, The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market in January and July are the ignition switch for global retailing with buyers from every U.S. state and more than 90 countries discovering product in more than 1,400 showrooms and more than 2,500 temporary exhibiting companies. Located in downtown Atlanta, the AmericasMart complex contains more than seven million square feet of space. It’s a huge global stage on which manufacturers, designers and sales representatives unveil new lines, launch new designs and introduce new categories – all for the benefit of buyers seeking all that is fresh and first in the home, rug, gift and apparel arenas. For more information, please visit www.AmericasMart.com. Follow us at #americasmartatl or #atlapparel.