William Glen Receives National gia Honor

The founder of Sacramento, California-based specialty retailer William Glen, Bill Snyder, was presented with the national gia (Global Innovator) Award this weekend at the International Home and Housewares Show.

William Glen was one of 24 retailers selected to receive the honor for his/her retailing innovation. Winners were selected by an international panel of judges. Previously, The Gourmet Retailer Magazine had selected William Glen as the national winner to represent the independent specialty channel for the United States.

Now in its sixth year, the Global Innovator Award (gia) program has become a sort of Academy Awards show for excited retailers who gain important recognition for their retail strategies and enticing displays. Last year's honorees hailed from such diverse locations as Argentina, Chile, Finland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand and Turkey, among other countries, thereby bringing a true international flavor to the world's foremost housewares marketplace.

The program is sponsored by the International Housewares Association, which owns and operates the International Home and Housewares Show. Industry trade publications from around the globe sponsor national gia programs in their regions.

In 2006, a total of 24 global housewares retailers were recognized for their excellence and merchandising savvy. All of the national winners were honored at an invitation-only dinner ceremony on Sunday, March 12th.