Dollar Sales $2,486,289,000 % Change From Last Year -4.16
upermarket sales account for more than half the $3.2 billion spent on the product in food, drug and mass merchandisers combined. Yet competition from other channels and lower-priced private labels has grown fierce. As shoppers seek to find the best deals and cut down on replacement trips, they've switched to lower-priced store brands and moved purchases to dollar stores and warehouse clubs, where they can get longer-lasting bulk sizes at a lower per-unit cost. Dollar sales of toilet tissue by supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers have been hit hard in recent years, declining 4.4% in the 52 weeks ending June 13. Sales were down another 4% in calendar year 2003, and down again nearly 3% in calendar year 2002.
Supermarket declines mirror the overall trend at its worst. Sales for the 52 weeks ending June 13 were down just over 4% to nearly $2.48 billion, down 3.4% in 2003 to $2.54 billion, and down 4% in 2002 to $2.6 billion.
Drug stores, by contrast, commanded a small share of total sales of toilet tissue, but have expanded their presence in the category. Sales actually grew 2.9% to $252 million for the 52 weeks ending June 13, on top of calendar-year increases of 1.3% to $250 million in 2003 and 10.9% to $247 million in 2002.
Dollar Sales Latest 52 Weeks Ended June 13, 2004; % Change; Dollar Sales Calendar Year Ended Dec. 28, 2003; % Change; Dollar Sales Calendar Year Ended Dec. 29, 2002; % Change