The International Housewares Association, owner and operator of The Inspired Home Show, prepared the following frequently asked questions to address concerns related to Coronavirus and the impact it is having on the show, set for March 14-17 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
A U.S. housewares supplier asked during the recent Ambiente show, as coronavirus worries were escalating, if was too early, and as such, too insensitive, to let a big U.S. retailer know he offered an alternative source for goods now sourced by the retailer from China.
The High Point Market Authority is monitoring coronavirus disease developments, including reports from the United States Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. State Department and The World Health Organization. The HPMA said it is prepared to take additional precautions if they become necessary to keep Spring High Point Market participants safe during the April show.
The show floor at Ambiente in Frankfurt reverberated with mounting concerns about the potential for major supply chain disruption as Chinese factories remained shuttered by China’s massive coronavirus quarantine.
The impact of the coronavirus on business in China, which currently is exacerbating the annual effects of the Lunar New Year, is hitting major retail container ports in the U.S., according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The coronavirus has struck the trade show sector with the International Housewares Association reporting that it would not open the International Sourcing Pavilion at the upcoming Inspired Home Show and reports circulating that the Canton Fair has suspended exhibitions.