Harrods is one of the four Global Honorees for the IHA’s inaugural gia Top Window Award 2021.The Inspired Home Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organisers of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) programme, announced the Global Honorees for the gia Top Window Award in the Winning Visual Clicks/gia Top Window Award presentation by gia expert juror Anne Kong during Connect FALL (September 29).
Harrods and Francfranc of Japan are jointly Global Honorees in the large company category. The Global Honorees for the small company category are Cook Inc – The Culinary Store of Argentina and Premium Home of Poland. “This is very exciting news; we’re very pleased!” responded Margaret Osei-Bonsu, homewares buyer for Harrods on hearing the gia Top Window Award announcement.
Commenting on the award, which was introduced earlier this year, IHA president Derek Miller explained: “We wanted to honour the hard work and innovation of home + housewares retailers around the world during the time of the pandemic. As visual merchandising and displays are a key element in the gia retail competition, recognising and celebrating the best window displays was the right effort to take. Everyone at IHA would like to thank each company that submitted an entry into the competition and to congratulate our four winners!”
As with the general gia Retail Awards, the Top Window competition is structured on a two-tier level, national and global. Co-sponsoring the country-specific gia Top Window programmes with IHA are housewares trade publications worldwide – including UK sponsor Progressive Housewares, which nominated Harrods, Rossiters of Bath, The Alder Tree of Wells-Next-The-Sea, Divertimenti in London and The Kitchen Range, Market Harborough for their eye-catching and thoughtful windows. Divertimenti’s Market Crate windows were highlighted for their clever use of props during Anne’s Winning Visual Clicks presentation, which showcased some of the most striking ‘storytelling’ windows entered in the competition.
The gia Top Window global jury, consisting of the four gia Expert Jurors, evaluated home and housewares windows from around the world based on:
- Originality and creativity (theme, concept, special effects)
- Merchandise presentation
- Professionalism: execution and technical aspects (lighting, attention to detail, signage, copy)
The four gia Top Window Global Honorees of 2021 will be invited to The Inspired Home Show 2022 in Chicago (March 5-8) and honoured at a festive awards dinner on Saturday March 5, together with the other gia winners of 2021-2022 (including current UK gia winner Jarrold of Norwich).
The gia program was created by IHA and The Inspired Home Show (formerly the International Home + Housewares Show) to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing throughout the world. Since the launch of gia in 2000, there have been more than 460 gia retail award winners, from 48 countries on six continents.
* See TheInspiredHomeShow.com/Explore/Awards/gia-Excellence-in-Retailing.
* For more information on The Inspired Home Show 2022 (March 5-8 in Chicago) and to pre-register for an entrance badge, visit TheInspiredHomeShow.com.
* Harrods is also a finalist in The Excellence in Housewares Awards 2021; winners will be revealed on Wednesday October 6.
Top: Harrods is Home – one of the windows picked out by the gia expert jurors for its exemplary display features including monochromatic and contrasting colour schemes.
