Total Exposure

By most accounts, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' Total Store Expo was a success. Total Store Expo did not disappoint this year. What has become the industry’s primary nonfoods show seemed to hit pay dirt as retailers and suppliers said they were impressed with not only the amount of new products being shown, but also the amount of retail foot-traffic at the four-day event that took place in Denver in late August. “We have had a very good show and I was impressed with the types of retailers I talked with,” said Jeff Carducci, vice president of sales-North America for derma e. “There was just a lot of action on the show floor at all times and it worked out nicely for us. The key is meeting the right people at the right times. That is exactly how it happened for us.” Officials at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the organization that puts on the annual event, said that attendance was near its peak and predicted that will only get better next year when the show is slated for early August in Boston. A number of suppliers said that the merger between the pharmacy and consumer packaged goods business was working out, despite some concerns a few years back that the two sides would not integrate well. “I think the merger of the two sides of the business brings more retailers here,” said one supplier. “The more retailers you have, the more likely you are going to attract suppliers, which brings even more retailers. It snowballs in the right direction.” Suppliers were eager to show their wares at the event. Here is a sampling of what some companies were showing at Total Store Expo: Bee Bald Bee Bald is offering a complete line of skin care products for men, all of them containing pollen extracts and honey. Dennis Fisher, owner  of the Beachwood, Ohio-based company, created the line when he felt he could not find anything better at retail. The eight SKU line, including a daily moisturizer, daily cleanser, premium shave cream, post-shave healing balm and exfoliating pre-shave, has a suggested retail price of $7.99 per product. “Our goal was simply to create a better product for the consumer and one that will help retailers sell-through,” Fisher said. “Our products have a very nice, gentle scent to them and they are high-quality, feature natural ingredients and are competitively priced. Plus the bold packaging will help the product stand out on retail shelves. These items are generally placed in the shaving section, but they could be sold anywhere in the skin care section.” Carma Laboratories Consumers are willing to pay more for a product that gets the job done, said Jona Mancuso, director of marketing for Carmex, a Carma Laboratories brand. That is why the Franklin, Wis.-based company unveiled its cold sore treatment about a year ago. The product, with a suggested retail price of $14.99, is the only product designed to tackle pain and itch and minimize the appearance of cold sores, she said. Mancuso said Carmex’s long history with lip balm is certain to help make consumers more comfortable with the cold sore product. “We have 78 years of equity with our lip balm products,” she said. “This product will gain traction off of our name and our reputation. Consumers are willing to buy a more expensive product if it works. This will bring more shoppers into the category.” The company is supporting the product with 4- and 6-count displays and clip strips. It has two FSIs scheduled, one on Oct. 18 and the other on Jan. 3, that includes a $3-off coupon. Circular ads that are account-specific are also being used, as well as focused television and print campaigns. derma e Simi Valley, Calif.-based derma e, introduced its Purifying skincare products, a line that is designed to simulate a deep, detox program to cleanse and reboot skin on a daily basis. There are six products in the line: gel cleanser, toner mist, 2-in-1 charcoal mask, daily detox scrub, youth serum and oil-free moisturizer. The products range in price from $14.50 to $29.50. “The derma e platform does a great job of blending science and nature together,” says Carducci. “All of our items are clinically tested and dermatologist recommended. They are specially designed for oily, active and urban skin types with formulas that work naturally to draw out toxins, replenish vital nutrients and restore the skin’s resistance to oxidative stress.” Gojo Mark Laird, the director of food channel for Akron, Ohio-based Gojo, said that the new Purell Design Collections, featuring upscale and eye-catching packaging, will ship next spring and again in the fall. The company’s hope, he added, is that the product designs will encourage consumers to keep Purell on their kitchen counters for a longer period of time and increase usage. The two SKUs—aloe and original—are priced at $2.99 to $3.49 for an 8-ounce container. “We think this is a simple solution for consumers looking to stay healthy,” said Laird. “Our goal is to get the consumer to keep the product around and out in the open. Once they do that, they will use it more and it will increase sales.” Hyland’s Hyland’s continues to introduce products to the marketplace. According to Thao Le, vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles-based company, new items include Good Morning, a natural remedy that is designed to temporarily relieve the symptoms of energy deficiency, irritability, difficulty waking, drowsiness and mental lethargy. “It is completely unique,” Le said. The company is also introducing Nighttime Mucus Cold Relief. The product is designed to relieve symptoms of the common cold in children, including accumulation of mucus in the chest, throat and nose. It is also introducing Baby Nighttime Tiny Cold Tablets, which company officials say provides natural relief of common cold symptoms including runny nose, sneezing and occasional sleeplessness in babies as young as six months old. ICTV Brands ICTV Brands is bringing a number of products to the retail marketplace. The Wayne, Pa.-based company introduced Coral Actives, an acne-fighting product that features 6 percent benzoyl peroxide, more than double what is normally available on the market. According to Richard Ransom, president, the product’s formula is the only one that contains SeaWhip coral extract, which he said is proven to reduce irritation and inflammation without inactivating the benzoyl peroxide, which makes it more effective. There are seven SKUs in the line, including a retinol exfoliating cleanser, moisturizer with SeaWhip extract, penetrating acne serum gel, acne cleansing bar and Sonic cleansing brush. Suggested retail prices range from $7.99 to $29.99. “We just cut 30-, 60- and 120-second spots with testimonials that will start in November,” Ransom said. “This is the best acne-fighting product on the market. With our marketing support it will become very well known.” ICTV is also offering the Ultimate Ped, the only foot buffer with two interchangeable heads and a built-in LED light. The Juvion Face and Eye Wands is designed to smooth wrinkles, brighten up dark circles and diminish under eye pouches. The Good Planet super solution is designed to clean, shine, seal and protect any hard surface—inside or outside. IdeaVillage Products Corp. With consumers seeking less expensive, but still high-quality alternatives to expensive wet shaving products, IdeaVillage Products Corp. is offering the MicroTouch ToughBlade, a complete wet shaving system that comes with an ergo-designed handle and 12 cartridges. According to Ron Boger, president of the Wayne, N.J.-based company, the ToughBlade features three German-engineered stainless steel blades that are designed for a close, comfortable and clean shave. Each cartridge is clinically tested to last at least 45 days, giving the consumer a year’s worth of shaving for a suggested retail price of $19.95, he noted. Boger said there is a natural market for the product with consumers looking for a better deal in the category. IdeaVillage is using former NFL football star Brett Favre as the product’s spokesman. “We are bringing the shaving clubs to retail,” he said. “All retailers are now faced with the dilemma of declining sales in their wet shave categories because price points of traditional items are too high. They are losing sales to these online shaving clubs. Our history of direct response retailing shows that only about eight percent of consumers want to purchase these items online. So we are offering it to retailers.” PharmaCare U.S. PharmaCare U.S. introduced meal boosters, designed to add nutritional value to just about any type of food, from popcorn to spaghetti. The product is placed on top of food to add nutritional values. The line features 10 SKUs, including super greens, kale, cacao and a breakfast topper. The suggested retail price range is between $12.99 and $19.99. “We found that about 60 percent of consumers say they want to do something to enhance their nutrition,” says Art Rowe-Cerveny, marketing manager-Americas for the San Diego-based company. “This is an educational process. We need to teach consumers that this is a simple thing to use and to do. It will add a lot of nutrition to their diets.” Piping Rock Health Products Piping Rock Health Products offers Nature’s Truth, a 120 SKU line of vitamins and supplements. The line, according to company officials for the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based company, is unique from most others in the market. For example, its 16 aromatherapy essential oils, include rosemary, Patchoulie Dark, cinnamon, Frankincense, orange sweet and lemon. Other products feature unique fragrances or ingredients. The company has products across the supplements spectrum and, according to Kimberly Vigliante, senior vice president of sales and marketing, has the infrastructure in place to help retailers get product on shelves quickly and efficiently. “We have a lot of experience in the vitamins and supplements categories,” said Vigliante. “We know how to identify the trends and how to bring products to market that will maximize sales for the merchants. It’s a team of veterans here, who understand the importance of quality and on-time deliveries.”