Celebrity- and food show-licenses were still in evidence at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, but more in a supporting role rather than in the spotlight they once occupied.

Housewares companies that once rushed to market without much testing are now taking a more measured approach. For example, Tristar Products is readying Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer and grilling products for launch in the spring. The company tested the brand’s consumer awareness last fall by promoting (but not actually selling) products bearing Lagasse’s name on infomercials, says Tristar’s Lori Heffernan.

SCS Direct quietly introduced appliances tied to the MasterChef TV show late last year via Macys.com. And Ergo Chef showed a Guy Fieri collection of seven- and eight-inch knives, a more low-key product introduction than that which accompanied Lifetime Brands’ launch of his brand in 2012.

“There are so many cooking shows, magazines and celebrity chef brands now that I am not sure the products always resonate with the consumer, and that they make the connection between the products and show, chef or magazine,” said one executive.

On the other hand, consumers are able to connect with chef- and reality-show-based brands that are actually used on the show or other content. For example, MasterChef also spotlighted the SCS Direct products on its Web site.

Among the other developments we observed at the show:

Instant Pot Arrives in Licensing

Even as its parent company was in the process of being acquired by Corelle Brands, the hot-selling Instant Pot pressure cooker brand has been moving into licensing.  Lifetime Brands will launch a line of about 30 Instant Pot accessories ranging from a cutting mat ($4.99) to a cook/bake set ($49). “The recognition has been such right now that I don’t even have to show the retailers the products because they know the brand already,” says Lifetime Brands Marketing Director Brian Schlef. “At some point retailers are going to have to anniversary those initial sales of the Instant Pot product itself and accessories are means extending that business.”

Gibson Debuts Kenmore Brand, Readies WW Products for Kohl’s

Despite Sears Holdings financial struggles, its Kenmore brand is making inroads in licensed housewares. Gibson USA is readying a 70-SKU assortment that encompasses three cookware collections knives, pressure cookers, roasters and other products. The Sears brands (Kenmore, Diehard) are part of a separate holding company within the retailer and still have high recognition among consumers, says Gibson Marketing Director Jodi Fleishman. “The Kenmore brand itself is known for quality and reliability and we think that will carry through to the housewares products,” says Fleischman.

Meanwhile, Gibson’s assortment of WW (formerly Weight Watchers) brand products will be carried online and in 250 Kohl’s stores starting in May. Some products (i.e. specially designed tumblers) will be exclusive to Kohl’s, but items also will be distributed to grocery chains. Some of the Kohl’s stores will have a WW Studio store-within-a-store format, an 1,800-sq.-ft. version of which is opening at Kohl’s location in Chicago.

Peugeot Weighs Licensing for Non-Auto Products

Peugeot Freres, the holding company for the Peugeot family, is weighing outbound licensing as part of a broad three-year plan that includes lifestyle products, says Thibault Martin-Dondoz, Head of Brand Strategy.  The licensing would be separate from the program handled by the Peugeot auto group and would apply to categories aligned with businesses in which the Peugeot family has ownership stakes: Peugeot Sauveurs (tabletop); Peugeot Outillage (tools, work stations) and Mobento, a France-based bento box/lunch box design firm in which Peugeot bought a majority stake last year.

“We think we can be a broader lifestyle brand because when we have interests in kitchen, lunch box, DIY {tools} businesses, it is all about the house and family life,” says Martin-Dondoz.

Contacts:

Clipper Corp., Carmen Burton, Senior Account Mgr., 310-347-1057, carmen.burton@clippercorp.com

Gibson USA Jodi Fleishman, Marketing Dir., 323-832-8900 x1125, jodif@gibsonusa.com

Lifetime Brands, Brian Schlef, Marketing Dir., 516-740-6784, brian.schlef@lifetimebrands.com

Peugoet Freres, Thibault Martin-Dondoz, Head of Brand Strategy, +33 84 13 87 48, Thibault.martin-dondoz@peugeot-freres.fr

SCS Direct, Trevor Dreiling, Sales Operations Mgr., 719-377-2646, trevord@scsdriectinc.com

Tristar Products, Lori Heffernan, Retail Sales Account Coordinator, 973-575-5400 x155, lorih@tristarproductsinc.com