Press Release
EK Retail Study Trip takes partners from four countries to The Inspired Home Show
Trade fair trip to Chicago
Bielefeld/Chicago, March 19, 2026 – Anyone who wants to know where the world of housewares is heading cannot miss The Inspired Home Show (TIHS) in Chicago. For this reason, EK Retail once again organized a multi-day retail study trip this year to one of the world’s most important trade fair venues in the sector. On board were 37 retailers from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. In addition to visiting the trade fair from March 10 to 12, 2026, the group also gained in-depth insights into the retail landscape of the North American metropolis.
With more than 2,000 exhibitors, The Inspired Home Show at McCormick Place once again proved to be a highly engaging event. The focus was on the four major product segments: housewares, small domestic appliances, storage solutions and tabletop.
Exclusive insights for participants
For 14 years, the Bielefeld-based cooperative has been the European cooperation partner and German-speaking office of the organizing International Housewares Association (IHA). As a result, the agenda also included an exclusive meeting with IHA President and CEO Derek Miller. Beyond the official trade fair program, EK once again enabled participants in the study trip to gain profound insights into the U.S. market.
“Our Retail Study Trip not only conveys valuable insider know-how, it also stands for inspiration and exchange in a dynamic environment. In addition, the trip opens up new perspectives for retailers on their own business practices,” said Jochen Pohle, EK Management Board member responsible, among other areas, for EK Home.
Fun, valuable knowledge, fresh momentum
The EK delegation’s shared time in Chicago began as early as March 8 with a spectacular cooking event at “Get in the Kitchen.” The venue describes itself as a “party school” for cooking classes and ensured plenty of fun for the participants, who were able to get to know each other better in a relaxed setting.
The first professional highlight then led the EK group into the vibrant retail scene of the greater Chicago area. As part of a store-check tour, participants visited various retail formats in and around the third-largest U.S. metropolis that set benchmarks in their respective sectors – in terms of assortment design, cross-marketing, consistent thematic staging, service quality and employee orientation, as well as the overall shopping experience.
Stops included the Wayfair store and the lively Oakbrook Shopping Center with major market players such as Crate & Barrel, The Container Store and Williams Sonoma. Visits to a Walmart Supercenter and a Target store were also part of the program. Time and again, this provided opportunities for engaging discussions with U.S. retail managers about their success concepts, including during the guided store-check tour in downtown Chicago, which took participants to the legendary Macy’s Marshall Field and to stores in the vibrant trend district of the Clybourn Corridor.
During the three-day trade fair, the winners of this year’s “gia” (global innovation award) were also honored. Among the 31 national and special award winners were three participants from the EK delegation: Franz Eder from Kufstein (national gia for Austria), Krawany (Austria) for best visual merchandising, and Carl Schäffer from Osnabrück (national gia for Germany). From among the national winners, a high-caliber jury then selected the five international winners. In addition to outstanding retail concepts from Australia, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the USA, the German award winner Schäffer was also honored as a “gia global honoree.”
“This recognition means a great deal to us. Being awarded as one of the world’s five best retail concepts for housewares makes me very proud. We will take this award back to Osnabrück and celebrate it together with our team, which has played a key role in this success,” said Tobias Schonebeck.
The participants in the EK delegation agreed that the study trip offers significant value for European retailers. “The trip to Chicago was well worth it for us. At The Inspired Home Show, we discovered exciting trends and met several interesting exhibitors. In addition, the insight into the U.S. retail landscape was extremely valuable for us as Switzerland’s leading department store group,” summarized participant Nadia Burri, Senior Product Manager Living (housewares, kitchen and tabletop) at Manor AG.
The date for the next edition of the trade fair has already been set: The Inspired Home Show 2027, March 9–11, 2027, at McCormick Place, Chicago.
Photo captions:
• Photo: The EK retailer delegation with 37 participants from four countries.
