Gia celebrates 25th anniversary

2024-2025 gia winners will be honoured at The Inspired Home Show in Chicago next month.

Excellence in housewares retailing will be an important focus at The Inspired Home Show 2025 in Chicago, as the world’s most innovative and creative home and housewares retailers are honoured at the 25th annual IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) programme.

The Inspired Home Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organisers of the gia programme, have announced the national gia winners for 2024-2025: 31 outstanding home and housewares retailers from 30 countries around the globe, including winners from new gia countries Mauritius and Uzbekistan.

The gia program was created by IHA and The Inspired Home Show to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing throughout the world. Since the launch of gia in 2000, there have been close to 600 gia retail award winners, from 57 countries on six continents.

The 2024-2025 national gia winners are:

Argentina – CUK – cukbazar.com

Australia – Mud Australia – mudaustralia.com

Austria – J.M.Offner – geschenke-offner.at

Belgium – ‘t Kookdepot – kookdepot.be

Brazil – IN8 Home – in8home.com

Canada – Carol’s Nicetys – shop.nicetys.com

Chile – Tiendas Paris – paris.cl

Colombia – Carmina Villegas – carminavillegas.com

Eastern Europe – Kaubamaja, Estonia – kaubamaja.ee

France – Album de Famille – album-de-famille.net

Germany – Tavola – tavola.de

India – Home Stop – shoppersstop.com/category/Homestop

Ireland – Arboretum Home and Garden Heaven – arboretum.ie

Italy – Morandin regali – morandinregali.com

Japan – BALMUDA – balmuda.com/jp/shops

Mauritius – Cuisinex – cuisinex.mu

Mexico – Bed Bath & Beyond México – bedbathandbeyond.com.mx

Middle East  – Crate & Barrel ME & Majid Al Futtaim, UAE – crateandbarrel.me

Netherlands – Balthazar Kookwinkel – balthazarkookwinkel.nl

New Zealand – A&C Homestore – achomestore.co.nz

Poland  – Gerlach – gerlach1760.pl

Portugal – My Kitchen by Ideiassaudaveis

Saudi Arabia – Alhadaya Center – alhadayacenter.com

Southeast Asia – Metro, Singapore – metro.com.sg

Spain – Fernando González

Turkey – Schafer – schafer.com.tr

United Kingdom – Trevor Mottram  – trevormottram.co.uk (pictured)

Uruguay – OYSTER Deco Design

USA (Giftware) – Perch Home & Company – perchhome.com

USA (Housewares) – The Artist’s Kitchen Shop – heartistskitchenshop.myshoplocal.com

Uzbekistan – Noble Décor

The gia competition is structured on a two-tier level, national and global, to honour independent and multiple location home and housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories:

  • Overall mission statement, vision and strategy
  • Store design and layout
  • Visual merchandising, displays and window displays
  • Marketing, advertising and promotions
  • Customer service and staff training
  • Innovation

 

Each national gia winner is invited to The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, where the global gia jury, consisting of four experts representing Asia, Europe and the Americas – plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors from around the world – will select up to five gia Global Honorees, in addition to the winners of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising and the gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing.

On Sunday, 2 March, the national winners will be honoured at a festive awards dinner where the gia Global Honorees and winners of the Martin M. Pegler and gia Digital Commerce Awards will be announced. In addition, the national winners will be featured with a special display at the show.

gia is more than an awards programme. Representing retailing excellence around the world, it is part of a larger education initiative that includes seminars by retail experts, columns in international housewares publications and educational sessions at events in sponsors’ home countries. As part of gia’s educational offering, on Monday, 3 March, three gia Expert Jurors – Wolfgang Gruschwitz, Scott Kohno and Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen – will present a special session in the Show’s Inspiration Theater:

The Exciting Retail Experience – A Digital Evolution with AI and Human-Centric Values

Retail is on the brink of a major evolution. AI and digital innovations will redefine convenience, while human values and sensory experiences will restore meaning to physical spaces. The future of retail is not about what is sold, but how people feel and connect within these spaces. In this era of change, retail will be more than commerce—it will be culture, trust, and a new way of life.

The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s global home + housewares marketplace, will be held March 2-4 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex. For more information about the 2025 show and to register for a free show entrance badge, please visit TheInspiredHomeShow.com.

For more information about the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program, the co-sponsors, or participating in 2025-2026, contact Piritta Törrö at piritta.torro@inspiredconnection.fi. Additional information on the gia program is also available online at TheInspiredHomeShow.com/Awards/gia-Retailing.

 

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