A lot has changed since the last spring, when the New York Home Fashions Market was abruptly called off as an in-person event because of the rapidly spreading pandemic.
By late spring, however, home products sales began booming – and kept on going. According to data from The NPD Group, home textiles sales shot up 16% from January through November 2020. Many retailers expect the hot streak to continue through this year.
Now the industry prepares to meet for its second pre-planned virtual New York market. Everyone is pretty well seasoned in the art of screen-to-screen interaction at this point and they’re looking to up their game for market.
HTT has upped its game, too. Our platform, co-sponsored by the Home Fashion Products Association (HFPA), is more interactive and searchable than the one we used last fall. We’ve also beefed up our programming.
Opening day, March 22, will be bookended by two keynote events. Melissa Gonzalez, CEO of The Lion’esque Group and an ABC radio contributor, will discuss the future of physical retailing. It’s going to be very insightful. The day wraps up with a one-on-one conversation with Joe Hartsig, EVP, chief merchandising officer of Bed Bath & Beyond, and president of Harmon Stores Inc. A rare treat.
We’re also throwing some fun into the mix. Each day we’ll post up a special feature called The Question, with the said “question of the day” being answered by leaders from several supplier companies.
On Tuesday, March 23 at 5 p.m., we’re hosting a lively networking session in tandem with our celebration of six home textiles companies that are doing outstanding work in digital.
Bringing it all home on Wednesday, March 24 at 5 p.m., industry veterans Warren Shoulberg and Mark Grand will host a live Game Night. Audience participation in the trivia competition – don’t worry, it’s general knowledge stuff – is highly encouraged, and we will be awarding $50 gift cards.
You’ll also want to check out our roster of informational sessions. They’ll cover hot topics like consumer research, global design trends and the latest developments on the fibers and performance finishes front.
Access to the interactive showrooms, vendor listings and recordings of all the programs will remain live for six months – but only for those who have registered. If you don’t do so by the end of market week, you’ll have missed the boat, along with an opportunity to revisit at your leisure and convenience. Best of all, it’s free. So get over to hometextilesweek.com to sign up!
Happy (socially distanced) hunting, everybody.
Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Marks shares news and views from around the home textiles marketplace.
Editors' Picks
Products from Total Home Market
