​WELCOMING 2016: CHANGES, EVENTS, AND MILESTONES

By Moe Lastfogel
Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer

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Moe Lastfogel

I’d like to start by saying Happy 100 Years to Thermador. Wow, that’s quite an accomplishment for any company, but especially by an appliance manufacturer. Very few companies in North America–let alone the world can claim that longevity. Congratulations to the thousands of people who have worked for this iconic company over that time span. You should be proud.

In 2015, numbers increased throughout the industry, including show attendance, buying group sales volumes, and member involvement and manufacturer’s shipments of products soared. I hope your individual companies have also thrived with this resurgence of consumer purchases.

Design Construction Week has now built itself into one of the largest trade events in the world and I, for one, can’t wait to attend. This year at KBIS, The Retail Observer has sponsored a new (sold-out) Outdoor Pavilion in the South Hall, with products from BBQs to cabinet companies to help you grow your outdoor offerings. Our media partnerships for 2016 include KBIS (Las Vegas), Asti (Miami), Architectural Digest Home Design Show (NY), The National Hardware Show (LV), Dwell On Design (LA), IFA 2016 (Berlin) and Westedge Design Fair (LA), to name a few. You can find the 2016 show calendar on our website at www.retailobserver/events. We will be adding a few more partnerships for 2016 and will keep them updated there.

This coming year is already looking up to surpass 2015 in all numbers and we plan on bringing you more news and information about products and manufacturers , the shows, buying groups and trends. We at The Retail Observer are here to be your Voice in the Industry and strive to bring you up-to-date on a monthly basis. Please feel free to reach out if you think there is a topic or category that we can add to the magazine or website that will be a helpful tool to aid in making this 2016 a successful year for you–our loyal readers and supporters.

Happy New Year and Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com

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