Seeking a targeted specialty store audience, top tier vendors continue to add booth space at the upcoming Gourmet Housewares Show in Las Vegas. Some are coming back after a hiatus, others want even greater presence: but as big box stores continue to lag in performance in today’s economy, vendors are revving up their attention to the independent and specialty stores who attend The Gourmet Housewares Show.

What that means for retailers attending the show is more face time with top decision makers at brand name vendors, like KitchenAid, and many more focused buying programs geared for the needs of independent retailers. KitchenAid is refocusing its effort to reach out to specialty stores by coming back to the Gourmet Housewares Show, after a seven year hiatus, says Marty Armstrong, director of Worldwide Sales & Trade Marketing, for the appliance maker. He says the company comes to the show with a host of new programs specifically geared to independent/gourmet retailers.

“The independent channel has played a very important role over the years for KitchenAid as our brand has grown,” Armstrong says. “They are our ‘Pro Shops’ and we know our consumers like to shop at their stores to get the most out of their purchase experience. We feel we can continue to grow with this important retail sector, and we see this show as an opportunity to renew a personal dialog with them.”

Vendors cite the fact that the Gourmet Show delivers the best specialty store buyers in the country in a show format that is well edited: high quality kitchenware companies don’t need to worry about their booths being placed next to companies whose products are totally irrelevant. That quality mix is bringing back innovative vendors like DeLonghi. “We are thrilled to be coming back to the Gourmet Show, expressing our sincere commitment to the gourmet specialty trade,” says Jim McCusker, who promises the company will introduce some new, exciting products. “It is great to be back,” McCusker adds.

Long-time Gourmet Show exhibitor Range Kleen — which expanded its booth space last year at the Gourmet Show in Orlando — is boosting its cookware presence this year in Las Vegas with a new line of enameled cast iron and pre-seasoned cast iron cookware, as well as a new line of pot racks says Steve MacDonald, marketing and product development director for the company. MacDonald says the high-quality pieces offer a great value, and he adds that Range Kleen offers a host of special programs to entice buyers to take on the new product lines. “We have lots of ways to reach out to specialty retailers,” says MacDonald.

Kuhn Rikon is also planning to showcase many new products in Las Vegas, along with show specials says vice president Steve White. “ The Gourmet Stores have always been the foundation of our business and we feel it is important to be a part of this trade show.”

For Robinson Home Products, specialty retailers are the core target group for its CIA Masters Collection product line. “The Gourmet Housewares Show is a great way to expose our program and products to that targeted customer base,” says Gary Andaas, vice president of business development.

Independent stores are also the bread and butter for high end manufacturers like Scanpan, another company returning to the Gourmet Housewares Show with plans to introduce a number of new lines in Las Vegas.

“With its emphasis on catering to the specialty stores, the show is the right venue for product introductions including a new cookware assortment, expansion of our cutlery lines, and more. And now that it is back in its more permanent home of Las Vegas, we want to re-affirm our commitment to that market segment ,” says George Bente, Scanpan’s president and chief executive.

Show organizers are welcoming back top tier manufacturers such as CIA Masters Collection/Robinson Home Products, DeLonghi America, Deni/Keystone, iSi North America, J.A. Henckels, John Ritzenthaler, Kuhn-Rikon, Kyocera, Polder, Revol, Scanpan, Wine Appreciation Guild, Wilton Armatele Yamazaki and Wusthof. Other key exhibitors include; Bonjour/ Meyer, Cuisinart/Waring, Furitechnics, Gibson Overseas, Harold Imports, Lifetime Brands, Messermeister, Metrokane, NordicWare, Nespresso, Staub, Swissmar, Tramontina, Trudeau, William Bounds, WMF and Zak Designs.

Showcasing some 400 exhibitors, The Gourmet Housewares Show represents over 1000 lines to a broad audience of industry attendees and is widely considered the premier marketplace for gourmet products.

The Culinary Center, the Gourmet Show’s nexus of celebrity chef appearances, cooking demonstrations and seminars, will again be a major draw for the 2008 show, which will also feature the return of the popular Gourmet Golds Awards, this year showcasing a new “Green” award.

The 2008 Gourmet Housewares Show is scheduled for May 6-8, at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The 2008 Show will be co-located with GLM’s Global Home Textiles™ and Global Home Décor™ shows. Concurrently, the National Hardware Show®, Homewares Show™, and Lawn and Garden World™ will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

David Formaro urges retailers to attend The Gourmet Housewares Show because the format allows retailers to spend quality time with vendors.

For David Formaro “Small stores are our bread and butter” he says because, “they are open to new ideas.” When choosing new products he advises smaller stores to play to their strengths, like being hands on, a trait most manufacturers’ reps appreciate.

“You can talk with smaller stores and they don’t have a corporate vision they are forced to fulfill. They are anxious for something new to set them apart, so if we find something cool, all we have to do is call or email them or bring them samples,” Formaro says. That helps more unusual products take off.

The ability to take a chance is the key competitive advantage of independent stores, he says. “Big stores may have an open-to-buy account, but smaller stores are open-to-listen, and they pick up on the latest product trends.”

That’s one reason Formaro urges his gourmet store partners to attend the Gourmet Housewares Show. “If they really want attention from vendors, we push them to go to Gourmet because they get such great consideration,” he says. The Gourmet Show’s open format also allows busy reps a chance to work to a variety of vendor booths more smoothly, Formaro adds.