CHAINS STILL CLEANING UP WITH SPRING EVENTS

JOEL ELSON

Although spring-cleaning promotions may not be on as large a scale as in past years, they are still whisking up sales opportunities for some retailers.

Concerns about allergens, dust and air-borne irritants are driving sales of wiping products and dusters, according to nonfood buyers surveyed by SN.

Despite the increase in two-income families who have less time to devote to major house-cleaning projects, a spring-cleaning promotion is still a worthwhile sales event, the buyers agreed.

These lifestyle changes actually generate demand for small wares and higher-quality implements with ergonomically designed grips and handles, they said.

Allergy concerns and a healthier household environment have affected household-cleaning implement shelf turns at Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Salt Lake City, according to Scott Stuart, category manager for household-cleaning implements.

"Wiping products like sponges, and miniblind and ceiling-fan dusters that weren't even around a few years ago, have been real big," he added.

During the past year Smith's adjusted its household-cleaning planograms with added variety in wipe and dusting products "to capitalize on that particular growth," said Stuart.

The chain's shelf schematics, for example, now reflect four to five additional duster stockkeeping units, up from one selection a few years ago, he said.

Customers have responded very favorably to ergonomically designed household-cleaning items merchandised on Smith's 12-foot to 16-foot stick-goods rack, said the retailer.

While as much as 80% or more of household-cleaning products sold in a grocery store are on impulse, Stuart said, when promoted heavily as a spring-cleaning event, movement shifts to a planned purchase.

"Name brands that advertise on TV and in women's magazines, like O-Cedar/Vining Household Products and Libman, have a lot to do with what's selling," he stressed.

Smith's builds its April spring-cleaning sales campaign around six items in small brushes, sponge mops, and angle and corn brooms. Floor-shippers and the in-line sets feature the mix at a discount for a couple of weeks.

"Indeed, spring is one of the strongest sales periods for cleaning implements," said Andrew Libman, brand manager at manufacturer Libman Co., Arcola, Ill.

"The category's 40% to 60% margins are also pretty profitable for retailers," he added.

According to the manufacturer, supermarkets typically feature spring-cleaning small wares like kitchen and vegetable brushes priced at $1.99 to $3, brooms tagged at $6.99 to $8.99 and mops priced up to $10.99.

For the past couple of years, Grand Union, Wayne, N.J., has promoted spring cleaning "more as an ongoing activity than in a big blitz that loads stores up with a lot of merchandise," said Bob Pikarsky, the category manager for cleaning implements.

Although the chain features assorted cleaning implements in a spring house-cleaning theme over a four-week span in March and April, "it's no longer a major event that gets a big play," Pikarsky added.

"We're not sending the quantity of goods in years past to stores. It's more geared toward what moves on a regular basis and will sell through. Because of changing consumer preferences we can't be sending out $200,000 in spring-cleaning products to stores if only half that amount sells," the retailer stressed.

According to Pikarsky, "Spring cleaning isn't the same as in previous years. Creating an event isn't possible if the sales you're looking for cannot be generated."

The rise in the number of two-income families has also influenced shelf turns of spring-cleaning-type merchandise, according to Pikarsky. "People without the time to tear their house apart in a major spring-cleaning project tend to clean as they go, it seems," he added.

Grand Union's spring-cleaning specials revolve around floor shippers of better-selling items in brooms, mops, toilet brushes, bowl cleaners and latex gloves, all retailed at a 25% discount with the retailer's frequent-shopper club card.

Pikarsky said consumers look for a quality product, and quality is becoming more important; more ergonomically designed handles are also more important.

But wet or unusually hot spring seasons over the past few years have dulled the effect of large-scale spring-cleaning sales extravaganzas, according to Rick Channel, director of general merchandise and health and beauty care at Riser Foods, Bedford Heights, Ohio.

"Our spring weather has been gray, unpredictable and horrible for a few years. And being without those sunny days with flowers blooming, that drive the spring-cleaning business, may translate into lower sales," said Channel.

The chain's spring-cleaning events consist of linking together mops, brooms, buckets and rubber gloves with grocery cleaning supplies and paper goods in two sales events at the middle and end of April.

The sales mix includes O'Cedar stick goods priced at $5.99 to $11.99, and other items at $3.99 to $5.99 promotion price points "to reach the more bargain-conscious customer," said the retailer.

Floor shippers of sponges in value-added packs of buy two, get one free do well in moving products, he said.

Channel said sponge and twist mops with ergonomic handles retailing at $16 are selling better.

Riser displays spring-cleaning specials at store level from their regular shelf position, in floor shippers and on endcaps. "Larger stores will use more off-shelf merchandising for these products," he added.

Spring-cleaning promotions at Jitney Jungle Stores of America, Jackson, Miss., also now account for limited display space, according to Allen Booth, assistant director of general merchandise and health and beauty care.

"We don't do much with spring cleaning aside from five ad items promoted with grocery cleaning products during April. But nothing really major will be featured around a cleaning theme," said Booth.