Past gia (Canada) Winners (**Indicates Global Honoree as well):

2000-2001:  To Set a Table & Canadian Tire (large store category)
2001-2002:  Cayne’s Super Housewares
2002-2003:  The Main Course  & London Drugs (large store category)
2003-2004:  Kitchen Stuff Plus & Home Outfitters (large store category)
2004-2005:  ** Pom Pom
2005-2006:  Kingsmill’s Department Store
2006-2007:  Le Gnome
2007-2008:  Muffet & Louisa
2008-2009:  ** Les Touilleurs
2009-2010:  ** Stark & Whyte
2010-2011:  Cookworks
2011-2012:  Kitchen Therapy
2012-2013:  ** Linen Chest
2013-2014:  Teatro Verde Cucina
2014-2015:  ** Hudson’s Bay Company
2015-2016:  ** Lakehouse Home Store
2016-2017:  The Gourmet Warehouse
2017-2018:  Pots & Paraphernalia
2018-2019:  G. D’Aoust & Cie
2019-2020: HOME on water st.
2022-2023: Cookery
2023-2024: Bradshaws
2024-2025: Carol’s Nicetys
2025-2026: Boutique Crème

2025-2026 gia Canada Winner

The winning retailer of the prestigious gia Canada Award for 2025-2026 is Boutique Crème located in Montréal, Quebec.

About Boutique Crème – Inspiring to Cook

Often when customers walk into Boutique Crème, store staff hear visitors say, “When I’m here, I want to buy everything.” That spontaneous sentiment perfectly captures the spirit of this beloved kitchen boutique, which has been elevating culinary retail since its founding in 2002 and reimagining its vision as Boutique Crème in 2019.

More than a kitchen store, Boutique Crème is a destination for inspiration, where the art of cooking is elevated, and where everyday meals can transform into meaningful experiences. Rooted in the belief that the kitchen is the heart of the home, Boutique Crème invites home cooks, culinary explorers, and thoughtful gift-givers into a space that blends heritage and innovation, elegance and functionality, warmth and discovery.

Inside its luminous, thoughtfully designed space, guests are welcomed by a timeless blend of marble, wood, and slate—materials that echo the warmth of home while setting the stage for an exceptional retail experience. Every detail is curated to inspire culinary creativity, from high-performance European cookware and premium kitchen tools to exclusive Québec-made kitchen essentials, limited-edition design collaborations, and beautifully chosen gift ideas for every occasion.

At the heart of the store is the signature marble-top island, an ever-evolving centrepiece that showcases seasonal offerings, local finds, and new arrivals. It’s the visual and emotional anchor of the boutique—designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and delight.

What truly sets Boutique Crème apart is its people. The team is made up of passionate food lovers and highly knowledgeable consultants who go beyond transactional service. Their approach is warm, transparent, and deeply personal—taking the time to understand each guest’s culinary needs, whether recommending tools for everyday cooking or guiding them to the perfect gift. Boutique Crème delights in offering customized solutions such as build-your-own sets, try-me-at-home cookware programs, and personalized care and maintenance kits—all designed to build trust, confidence, and long-term satisfaction.

To further strengthen the bond with its community of food enthusiasts, Boutique Crème offers its signature immersive experience: Moments Gourmands. These exclusive, in-store cooking workshops and demonstrations—led by talented local chefs and skilled home cooks—take place in a fully equipped, home-style kitchen centred around a stunning French Lacanche range. With up to 12 guests per session, these events are intimate gatherings that bring people together to learn, cook, and enjoy a memorable meal, transforming retail into connection and shared joy.

From its refined aesthetic and thoughtfully selected merchandise to its exceptional customer service and immersive culinary experiences, Boutique Crème embodies a modern, passionate culinary lifestyle. It brings people together through a shared love of cooking, blending timeless design with practical performance, tradition with innovation, and commerce with community.  At Boutique Crème, culinary joy is always at the center of the table.

Contact Info:

Francesca Mandato, Store Manager

Email: francesca.boutique1101@gmail.com

Store Tel: 514-278-0008

Website: boutique1101.com

 

 

 

 

 

The CHPTA is pleased to be the Canadian Sponsor of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) program recognizing overall excellence, business innovation and creative merchandising in home and housewares retailing.

What is gia?

The IHA’s gia Awards is a national and global awards program whose objective is to honor innovative business practices and excellence in home and housewares retailing and visual merchandising around the globe. Established in 2000, the global program is sponsored by the International Housewares Association (IHA) and The Inspired Home Show. Leading housewares associations and publications from around the world are national gia awards co-sponsors.

 

Eligible retailers and gia awards categories

Different types of retailers selling home and housewares may participate in the IHA’s gia Awards competition:

  • Independent Specialty Homegoods Retailers
  • Department Stores/Specialty Chain Stores/Mass Market Stores
  • Internet/Online Retailers (without a physical storefront; a prior authorization by IHA required)

There are no separate categories for different types of retailers, but all participating companies compete for the same gia Global Honoree awards. One winner per trade association/publication sponsor unless the association or publication is authorized by the IHA to select more than one winner.

In addition to the general gia awards, the national gia winners have a chance to compete for the Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising and for the gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing (the online award depending on the total number of eligible applicants).

Judging

  • IHA provides Evaluation Forms for candidates and shares best practices of successful selection processes used by other national sponsors.  Each association or publication independently chooses its national winner.
  • IHA appoints the Global Jury for selecting the Global Honorees.  The Global Jury consists of global retail/merchandising experts and a rotating number of co-sponsoring associations/publications.

Base Criteria – gia Awards

  • 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

National Winner Benefits

  • Recognition as a retail leader among peers in home country
  • High visibility at The Inspired Home Show (Chicago)
    o A special gia winners’ display in the main Show area
    o Large gia winner banners in the walkway between the Lakeside Center and Grand Concourse of McCormick Place
    o A presentation at the gia dinner
    o Store introduction on IHA’s website
    o In gia printed materials, such as gia fliers, magazine sponsor gia ads, etc.
  • Access gia expert jurors’ know-how (Chicago)
  • Networking with other gia winners – chance to find new business partners, get new ideas, benchmark performance, etc.
  • Extensive publicity in home country – depending on winners’ pro-active promotions
  • Opportunity to conduct customer/press events
  • Boost employee morale and productivity
  • Enlarged customer base (depending on winners’ promotions) and potential sales increases
    o Right to use the gia logo, photos and information in marketing and in-store promotions, etc.
    o Access to other gia-related materials (poster, banner, etc.) that can be used for promotional purposes
  • Leverage reputation with banks and other institutions

 

Nominations 

To be considered for this award or to be nominate a retailer, please contact:

Michael Jorgenson
Marketing & Communications Manager
Canadian Home Products Trade Association (CHPTA)
1335 Morningside Ave., Suite 101, Scarborough, Ontario M1B 5M4
(416) 282-0022 ext.134, mjorgenson@chpta.ca

 

Timetable

April – September:

  • Candidate recruitment is in progress.

September 30th:

  • National winners are chosen and winner information is sent to the IHA
  • National sponsors start working with the winner on evaluation forms, store logos and photos

November 15th:

  • National sponsors are to make sure that the requirements are met and all information/materials are made available to the IHA by this date. Please encourage your winner to participate in the gia Digital Commerce Award judging as well (by completing the separate gia Digital Commerce Award evaluation form).
  • National sponsors send their association/magazine and possible corporate sponsor logos (as Illustrator .eps vector files) to Tina Genualdi at the IHA.
  • All national gia sponsors are asked to provide a brief commentary (can be bullet points) on their winner: what makes this store special, how are they innovative – what made you choose them as your winner.

September – March (following year):

  • National sponsors stay in contact with their winners
    o Confirm attendance at the Show and at the various gia events during the Show
    o Honor the winner in the home country
    o Introduce/write about the winner in their magazine/newsletter etc.
    o Make sure that the evaluation forms and winner logo/photos meet the requirements and are made available to the IHA by the November 15 deadline

2025 gia Award Ceremonies

On the evening of March 2, 2025, the International Housewares Association (IHA) announced and awarded the winners of the Global Innovation Awards (gia) for excellence in retail and product design during a gala dinner at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago held in conjunction with The Inspired Home Show. 

The five Global Honorees awarded for retail excellence were:

  •  CUK – Argentina
  • Mud Australia – Australia 
  • Album de Famille – France 
  •  Balmuda Inc. – Japan
  • Balthazar Kookwinkel – Netherlands 

The judges also selected winners of two other special awards:

The Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising was awarded to Morandin Regaliof Italy; and the gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing was awarded to IN8 Homeof Brazil and Schafer of Turkey.

Although our Canadian national winner, Carol’s Nicetys from Oakville, Ontario, did not win one of the global awards, we would like to once again acknowledge their excellence in retailing and customer service within the Canadian marketplace—they represented our country well. 

Here are some photos with our Canadian winner from the gia Display at McCormick Place as well as the gia Awards gala:

 

 

Further Information

The CHPTA is the exclusive gia sponsor in Canada.  The IHA Global Innovation Awards program honors home and housewares retail excellence in over 30 countries around the world.  The global sponsor is The Inspired Home Show, which honors gia winners each year in March in Chicago.

Click here to find out more information about the gia program.