KitchenAid Launches Retail Kiosks
KitchenAid recently retained Centerville, OH-based media solutions provider, Cloonan + Associates, to develop a kiosk for use nationwide at The Great Indoors, the new home store owned by the Sears Corp.
Lillian Rappette, Sales Trade Marketing Manager for KitchenAid, said, “The kiosk is a comprehensive, interactive learning center for our consumers and cutting-edge merchandising tool for our retailers. KitchenAid recognized the importance of enhancing the purchase experience and providing home enthusiasts with a revolutionary resource to help them with their buying decisions.”
KitchenAid’s kiosk showcases over 100 different kitchen appliances and product accessories. It provides more than 60 different product videos, KitchenAid culinary event listings, free gourmet recipes, warranty information, a kitchen gallery album for remodeling inspiration, and a marketing software application that tracks and monitors consumer preferences.
The Cloonan team completed the software development, videos and graphic design. Exhibit Concepts, based in Vandalia, OH, built the kiosk cabinetry.
Imagin Air Displays AeroBed Products
Rapid Displays of Chicago, IL, was asked by Imagin Air to create a permanent display solution for retail locations to hold a significant quantity of its AeroBed products.
To help Imagin Air organize its retail space, Rapid Displays created a simple and elegant, laminated wood display, which holds 24 AeroBeds.
The AeroBed display features inflatable beds and pools manufactured by Imagin Air. Rapid Displays was responsible for the design, manufacturing packaging and shipping of the display.
Display Showcases Decorative Mirrors
United Design Corporation, Noble, OK, is using this unique display unit to showcase its introduction of the Looking Glass Gallery 2001 Premier Collection of Decorative Wall Mirrors. This collection of 32 mirrors and 8 companion wall sconces and wall pockets brings design and function to this essential home accessory. Mirror sizes range from 10x 10 inches to 21 x 28 inches.
The Looking Glass Gallery Collection redesigns the basic mirror to uniquely reflect the current trends in home accents and accessories. This collection's use of elaborate three-dimensional design in sculpted art, combined with the elegance of mirrored glass, makes each one a true reflection of beauty. Four, distinctive design themes are featured: Art Nouveau, Contemporary, Natural Reflections and Shabby Chic.
Merchandising the new Looking Glass Gallery Collection is made simple by utilizing its attractive, movable display rack. It is designed specifically for quick and easy in-store set up, and can be rolled from spot to spot within a store.
Langley’s Candle Display Optimizes Sales
Langley Candle Co. required a cost-effective, easy-to-assemble, attractive floor rack that would ship easily.
Langley worked with Display Technologies, a College Point, NY-based display firm, which customized its TechStoc Optimizer Floor Rack. The modular floor rack features a header with bold, eyecatching graphics highlighting the Langley Candle Company name and its holiday candle line. The easy-to-use, free-standing merchandiser offers four-sided visibility so the consumer can view the products from all angles. Crafted of high impact styrene for durability and strength, the modular floor rack ships knocked-down and sets-up easily in the field without tools.
Home Improvement & Discount Retailers Outperform Other Retailers
“Evidence suggests that 2001 will be remembered as a year of retail consolidation,” said Ross Moore, Director of Research for Colliers International, a Boston, MA-headquartered commercial real estate firm.
One sector bucking the consolidation trend is home improvement retailers. Spending on the home continues to be an area of growth as demonstrated by new store openings of Home Depot’s Expo and Sears’ The Great Indoor Experience. Discount department stores and discount apparel retailers also continue to open new stores.
The Sun Belt remains the hot spot for growth. Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and San Diego are expected to remain target markets for most retailers.
Large Retail Chains To Drive Consolidation In The Housewares Sector
The increasing concentration and power of large retail chains will drive consolidation of the housewares sector, according to a new report by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. The housewares market is a nearly $70 billion U.S. industry, which has historically had very low barriers to entry. As a result, the sector is extremely fragmented with several thousand companies and very few firms having more than $1 billion in revenues.
“Retailers are reducing the number of vendors and partnering with those that are value added,” said Steven Bernard, U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. “These services include a broad product portfolio, merchandising programs, in-store promotions, just-in-time inventory, category and inventory management, efficient distribution and customer service.”
“We expect consolidation to remain a big part of the industry over the next several years as companies build successful platforms to ensure profitability and survival,” said Bernard.
GE Reveal Is GE’s Largest
Light Bulb Launch
GE Lighting is launching the Reveal light bulb which provides crisper, cleaner lighting to make objects appear richer in color and more vivid.
The quality of the Reveal light is achieved by adding the natural earth element, Neodymium, to the glass.
An multi-million dollar integrated marketing campaign will support the launch.
Delta Introduces e-Flow
Delta Faucet has introduced the e-Flow hands-free faucet, which combines hands-free electronic faucet technology with a color coordinated bathroom. Consumers can set the water temperature with an easily accessible control knob and simply place their hands under the faucet to begin water flow. Available in six popular hues, the control knob can be interchanged to match colors in the bathroom.
Eureka WhirlWind Bagless Upright Debuts
Eureka Co. has introduced the Eureka WhirlWind Plus, a new bagless upright vacuum with true HEPA sealed filtration. With the new Eureka WhirlWind Plus, consumers don’t have to give up filtration quality to enjoy bagless vacuum convenience.
Pilkington Activ Glass Makes
Windows Self-Cleaning
Pilkington N.A., Toledo, OH, has introduced a new glass product that uses the sun's UV rays to gradually and continually breakdown and dissolve organic dirt to leave windows clean. In addition to being self-cleaning, the special sheeting action of Pilkington Activ glass causes water to sheet, rather than streak and spot, as it does on ordinary glass.
Create-A-Castle Corrugated Display
The base of this display uses the customer's wallcovering product on #200 Bleached White / Os, B-flute corrugated. A graphic panel formed the back of the display and the customer's product was laminated to the center of the display to create the castle tower. The Create-A-Castle Corrugated Display was created by Oxford Innovations, Division of Timbar Corporation, 201 S. College Avenue, P.O. Box 189, New Oxford, PA 17350-0189.
Duracell/Home Depot Rolling Rack
This almost 6' display guarantees a dominant presence in the Home Depot environment. Each of the display's six shelves restock easily with the selling trays provided to Home Depot containing 20-30 batteries each. The sturdy sheet metal shelves support the battery's weight. Casters allow the display to be easily relocated anywhere in the Home Depot stores even when fully loaded with hundreds of pounds of products. A metal X brace at the back of the unit guarantees stability. A sloped graphic panel provides consumers with product information, whle the sloping design keeps the area from being used as a shelf. For easy installation, the unit ships fully The Duracell/Home Depot Rolling Rack was created by New Dimensions Research Corp., 260 Spagnoli Rd., Melville, N.Y. 11747
Ducane Outdoor Grill Accessories Display
This two-sided floor display is constructed of metal, wire and plastic. It features 4-color graphics on the curved plastic end panels and 2-color header signs. The unit offers a complete line of outdoor grilling accessories to major retail chains. The objective was to increase distribution and market share. The unit did help to increase distribution and sales. The Ducane Outdoor Grill Accessories Display was created by Nashville Display, 1415 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN 37210.
Moen Revolution Motion - Display
Moen Incorporated required a display to feature their new Revolution Massaging Showerhead. The display had to convey the experience and the sensation of the new advanced showerhead. This innovative, rotating display utilizes cutting-edge materials and bright, eye-catching graphics to stand out from the competition and brand the company as a leader. The display was created with Black ABS with brushed silver coating. The rotation mechanism was created with powder coated wire, matched to Moen's PMS color. A 3440 motor was used to create rotation. The Arras Group was responsible for the graphics and Rapid displays, 4300 W. 47th Street, Chicago, IL 60632-4476, was responsible for the design, engineering, and the complete production of the Moen Revolution Motion Display.
3M Scotch Post-It Inflatable Chair
The Inflatable Post-It Chair features a recessed drink holder. This display proved to be a successful promotional vehicle for the brand. Brightly imprinted with an all over repeat pattern of the 3M logo, it sent a strong brand identification message. The chair is made of heavy duty PVC vinyl with recessed drink holders. The 3M Scotch Post-It Inflatable Chair was created by Sterling Promotional Corp., 3010 Westchester Avenue, Purchase, NY 10577.
Kohler Aisle Display For “Big Box” Stores
The Kohler Company needed a display to help merchandise faucets in secondary aisle locations in the “Big Box” format stores. The display presents the quality Kohler brand at the point of sale. It is strong enough to hold a cast iron sink, maintain an inventory of faucets (adjustable shelves), is mobile (heavy casters are provided), and requires minimum set up. The display was designed and produced for Kohler by Mark Novak & Associates, Inc., 149 N. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068.
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