The beautiful Casa Cuesta retail store, based in the Dominican Republic, has scooped not one but two prestigious awards at the annual gia event in Chicago.
The Inspired Home Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organisers of the gia program, hosted an awards ceremony in Chicago yesterday 10 March, with the Dominican Republic’s beautifully merchandised Casa Cuesta being named Global Honoree. Casa Cuesta also walked away with the Martin M. Pegler award for excellence in visual merchandising.
Tableware International’s publisher Paul Yeomans was in Chicago to see Casa Cuesta collect their awards.
The gia program was created by IHA and The Inspired Home Show to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing throughout the world. Since the launch of gia in 2000, there have been over 600 gia retail award winners, from 60 countries on six continents.
The gia competition is structured on a two-tier level, national and global, to honour independent and multiple-location home and housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories:
• Overall mission statement, vision and strategy
• Store design and layout
• Visual merchandising, displays and window displays
• Marketing, advertising and promotions
• Customer service and staff training
• Innovation
Each national gia winner was invited to The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, where the global gia jury, consisting of four experts representing Asia, Europe and the Americas – plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors from around the world – selected up to five gia Global Honorees. In addition the winners of the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising and the gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing were also announced.
“We are thrilled Tableware International’s gia entry Casa Cuesta has been recognised in two categories. It is so important we celebrate retailers around the globe and give them credit for trading in difficult conditions, especially stores such as Casa Cuesta who are going above and beyond to deliver an exceptional retail experience,” said TI’s publisher Paul Yeomans.
TheInspiredHomeShow.com/Awards/gia-Retailing