INTENSE BREATH MINTS UP SHARPLY: IRI

BARBARA McDONALD

CHICAGO -- Breath fresheners of the "intense" variety are helping to keep the breath-mint category strong, according to recent data from Information Resources Inc. here.

Sales of breath mints increased by 17.7% in all channels during the past year, according to IRI.

Altoids, Certs Cool Mint Drops Breath Freshener, Smint Breath Freshener and Velamints showed gains in dollar sales ranging from 57.6% for Velamints to 70% for Altoids, marketed in their tins as "curiously strong."

Dollar sales in the segment went up in supermarkets by 10.8%, IRI found, although unit sales actually dropped slightly, by 1.6%. Growth in mass and drug stores was more than double that of food stores.

"I know I have been presented with a lot of new mints," said Lynette McCoy, candy buyer for Minyard Food Stores, Coppell, Texas. "We have seen an increase [in sales], and we have seen it climb steadily over the last year.

"It makes sense, as more and more companies and buildings are going smoke-free. That's the logical reason for it."

Although she said Minyard hasn't picked up Velamints yet, she noted that the brand is quickly catching up. "Their tin is just under $2. They cost more than the other roll breath mints, but Velamints are sugar-free. We are seeing a lot of people pick that up, because the flavor's good and it's sugar-free. Certs and LifeSavers are still doing well, but we are seeing more in the stronger, more intense mint flavor."

"Obviously, it's not just the intense flavors [that account for strong sales], but maybe they have helped to bring the whole category up. The intense mints have gotten a lot of the attention," said Susan Smith, vice president for communications with the National Confectioners Association, McLean, Va.

She mentioned that Blitz Power Mints, only four years on the market, has been doing very well and has helped add interest to that whole category.

"We'll grow a minimum of 420% for the past year," claimed Steve Schuster, president of Schuster Marketing Corp., Milwaukee, maker of Blitz Power Mints and Blitz Double Action. The brand's growth is mainly driven by the Power Mints, he said. They are in supermarkets, including Kroger Co., Giant Food and Shaw's Supermarkets, he said. Factors influencing the trend toward stronger mints, he said, include the mobility of most Americans. More likely to eat out, away from floss, toothbrush and mouthwash, they turn to strong breath fresheners after meals. Meals also tend to have stronger flavors, he said, and the increasing presence of women in the workplace and in positions where they need to be concerned about their breath also has an influence.

"In business, it's not true etiquette to be chewing gum," he noted.

The aging population, too, tends toward medical conditions like gingivitis and dry mouth that can exacerbate bad breath. And there are 20 million diabetics in the United States, he said, who must avoid sugared products. Blitz are sugar-free.