Chain Drug Review articles from September 2004

Chain Drug Review archives from September 2004

CMS' McClellan asks chains to help 'get word out'.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
September 13, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- In a teleconference from his office in the nation's capitol, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) director Mark McClellan praised the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and its members for encouraging senior...

Sammons: pharmacy at 'watershed'.(Cost pressures)
September 13, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Cost pressures continue to be the greatest challenge to community pharmacy, threatening "to turn the delivery of medicines into a commodity business, diminishing the role and value of neighborhood pharmacists," asserted National...

2004 sales scoreboard.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... August 2004 vol.: $13.23 bil. Gain vs. August 2004: 8.3% Same-store increase: 6.3% YEAR-TO-DATE RESULTS Dollar vol.: $101.78 bil. Gain vs. 2003: 8.6% Same-store increase: 6.8% Source: Racher Press research,

Katz Puts its money on Rexall prototype.
September 13, 2004... EDMONTON, Alberta -- The new prototype Rexall drug store that the Katz Group unveiled here late last month is to be replicated, with appropriate modifications, across all of the retailer's corporately operated banners in both Canada and the...

Prescription drug sales leveling off.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Prescription drug sales during the first six months of 2004 have not kept pace with the growth of the past few years, recently released statistics show. What is more, the data from Atlanta-based NDCHealth shows that community...

Suit against Sav-on gets class-action status.
September 13, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court has given class-action status to a lawsuit charging Albertsons Inc.'s Sav-on Drug Stores division with illegally denying overtime pay to some of its employees. The court's unanimous decision...

NACDS industry profile a 'must have' resource.(National Association of Chain Drug Stores)(Directory)
September 13, 2004... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation has released its 2004 Chain Pharmacy Industry Profile. Calling the publication a "must have" reference, NACDS Foundation executives note that the book includes the...

Ohio's best Rx taps drugstore.com.(Envision Pharmaceutical Services Inc.,)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Envision Pharmaceutical Services Inc., a pharmacy benefits management company, and drugstore.com inc. will work with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to administer prescription benefits and mail-order...

CVS offers digital breakthrough.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- CVS Corp. has introduced the first disposable digital camera that allows users to preview their pictures. The CVS-branded item was developed for the drug chain by Pure Digital Technologies Inc. The camera, which carries...

ShopKo ups drug store commitment.(ShopKo Stores Inc.)
September 13, 2004... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- ShopKo Stores Inc. is adding two more stores to its planned network of ShopKo Express outlets. A spokesman for the discounter says it will build a 15,000-square-foot drug store in the Green Bay suburb of Howard, Wis.,...

Disney touts two home video releases.(Supplier News)(Walt Disney Home Entertainment)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... BURBANK, Calif. -- Walt Disney Home Entertainment has launched The Three Musketeers, a new movie available only on DVD and video. The full-length animated musical stars Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. On DVD The...

Quigley moves to Kimberly-Clark.(Supplier News)
September 13, 2004... DALLAS -- Kimberly-Clark Corp. has named Don Quigley president of North American customer development. Executives say Quigley, formerly vice president of customer development at PepsiCo Inc., "will lead the continued evolution of...

TV spots air for Tom's of Maine line.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... KENNEBUNKPORT, Me. -- Tom's of Maine Inc., a supplier of health care products for more than three decades, has made its first foray into television advertising, debuting a commercial for its toothpastes. The campaign of four different...

Scentstories is added to P&G's Febreze line.(Supplier News)(Procter & Gamble Co.)
September 13, 2004... CINCINNATI -- Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) is introducing a new way to experience scents in the home. Scentstories by Febreze is a specially designed disc player with a variety of scent-themed discs that allows the user to select a disc much...

Kushyfoot hosiery 'massages' feet.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- Doris International Inc. has launched Kushyfoot, billed as "the first hosiery brand that massages the feet with every step." "Kushyfoot products were designed on the basic principles of reflexology technology," says Mitchell...

Sunshine offers Shrek dentifrices.(Supplier News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Sunshine Products Inc. has begun shipping Shrek 2 Swamp Green Chocolate and Shrek 2 Swamp Green Apple toothpastes. "These unique flavors have been focus group tested with extraordinary results," says a spokesman for the...

AG, Nickelodeon unveil Nickspressions.(Supplier News)(American Greetings Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... CLEVELAND -- American Greetings Corp. and Nickelodeon have launched Nickspressions--a line of innovative communications products for children ages 6 to 12. Many of the items feature characters from Nickelodeon television programs, including...

Longs results 'reflect progress in strengthening position'.(Business)(Longs Drug Stores)
September 13, 2004... WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Modest sales growth and tighter cost controls helped Longs Drug Stores increase net earnings before exceptional items during the second quarter of fiscal 2005, but a hefty charge related to legal settlements drove down...

A&P sees red ink reach $41 million in quarter.(Business)(Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Inc.)
September 13, 2004... MONTVALE, N.J. -- Despite a slight uptick in sales, A&P's loss from continuing operations doubled in the first quarter of fiscal 2004. On a per-share basis the deficit exceeded analysts' expectations. Continuing lines generated $41.5...

McKesson earnings advance 5.1%.(Business)
September 13, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Reflecting strong sales but lower margins in its core pharmaceutical distribution segment, McKesson Corp. posted a 5.1% rise in net income on a 16.2% jump in revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2005. Net earnings...

Pfizer, J&J pace big profit gains among drug store suppliers.(Business)(Johnson & Johnson)(Illustration)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Buoyed by significant upturns at two of the industry's biggest companies, major manufacturers of core drug store merchandise collectively saw income from ongoing lines more than double during the second quarter of 2004. ...

AmerisourceBergen net rises 11.8% in quarter.(Business)
September 13, 2004... VALLEY FORGE, Pa. -- With the positive impact of onetime items overcoming the effects of the loss of a major account and other factors that weighed down results in its pharmaceutical distribution segment, AmerisourceBergen Corp. managed to...

Momentum builds as Rite Aid hits its stride.(My Turn)
September 13, 2004... Amid the excitement, anticipation and as yet unanswered questions accompanying the dismantling of the Eckerd drug chain and its absorption by CVS and Brooks, another, perhaps more meaningful story is being largely ignored by the chain drug...

Uninsured masses keep growing and growing.(My Turn)
September 13, 2004... The Census Bureau released two sets of figures last month that should give pause to those with a stake in community pharmacy. It reported that the number of Americans without health insurance reached 45 million in 2003, and that the poverty...

Partnering becomes part of everyday retailing.(Cosmetics)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- As competition for beauty shoppers intensifies, chain drug retailers are stepping up their joint efforts with manufacturers in order to maintain and grow their share of the market. "Partnering with major cosmetics vendors has...

HBA America conference set for Sept.(Cosmetics)(HBA Health & Beauty America)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- HBA Health & Beauty America will hold its 12th annual conference here September 28 through September 30, featuring presentations by leaders in the beauty industry as well as a trade floor with 575 exhibitors. The keynote...

Beauty has added clout in new CVS prototype.(Cosmetics)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- The beauty category is a centerpiece of CVS Corp.'s business, according to Mike Bloom, senior vice president of merchandising. "It is a core category that helps define us," he says. "Having the right presentation and...

Merchandising tactics vary by chain.(Cosmetics)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Realizing that cosmetics are a key component in attracting female consumers (who comprise about 70% of drug store shoppers), chain drug retailers are using a mix of traditional and experimental merchandising efforts to lure them to...

Holiday cosmetics promise to be bright, shimmery.(Cosmetics)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Brisk days and and clear, starry nights mark the winter holiday season, and the leading beauty suppliers plan to greet the season with bright reds and shimmery shades to match the holiday mood. Revlon Inc.'s "Get Reddy" Holiday...

The biggest beauty consumer.(Cosmetics)(hispanic women)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, and chain drug retailers are taking active steps to garner their fair share of the burgeoning market. Studies consistently show Hispanic women use more beauty...

Dialogue: Marc Pritchard, President of global cosmetics and retail hair colorants, Procter & Gamble Co.
September 13, 2004... The editors of Chain Drug Review recently sat down with Marc Pritchard, P&G's point man in the mass beauty business, to discuss his sense of today's trends. Determined to tap in to what he sees as the virtually unlimited potential of the...

Dana takes aim at Hispanic men with three scents.(Fragrance News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Dana Classic Fragrances is introducing three new scents targeted primarily to Hispanic men: Musk by Dana, Herbissimo Mejorana and Herbissimo Te Verde. All three are being launched in chain drug and other mass market outlets in the United States...

Coty introduces fragrances for men and women.(Fragrance News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Coty Inc.'s Jovan brand, known for Jovan Musk for Men and Musk for Women, has now introduced Jovan Heat Man scent in two SKUs. Jovan Heat Man cologne body spray is equipped with a convenient, built-in pump, while Jovan Heat Man aftershave...

'House of Taylor' extended by Arden with counter unit.(Fragrance News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Elizabeth Arden Inc.'s House of Taylor, which began with Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds designer fragrance and has since added Forever Elizabeth and other scents and beauty items, is introducing a 24-piece House of Taylor counter prepack...

Navarro has the knack in beauty.(Fragrances)(Navarro Discount Pharmacies)
September 13, 2004... MIAMI -- When it comes to the beauty category, Navarro Discount Pharmacies sets the gold standard among regional drug chains--but director of cosmetics Patricia Pico is not content to have the company rest on its laurels. "Women know that...

Drug chains build the business.(Fragrances)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- While dollar sales of fragrance dropped by 4.5% across the three mass channels for the year ended July 11, 2004, sales barely fell off in drug stores, losing a scant 0.2%, according to Information Resources Inc. The reasons...

Smelling good in style among younger men.(Fragrances)
September 13, 2004... PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- It was not long ago that teenage boys would turn up their noses at the thought of wearing a fragrance. How times have changed. According to a study by The NPD Group, a marketing information company, more than four...

Black Radiance targets nails, lips.(Nail Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Markwins International Corp.'s Black Radiance line offers two Divine Diva gift sets for the holiday season. Each set combines two Black Radiance calcium-enriched nail colors with a pair of Black Radiance Radiant lip glosses. The sets are...

Cutex launches Twister remover.(Nail Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Medtech Products Inc. has introduced Cutex Essential Care Twister, a unique spillproof nail polish remover that allows the user to insert a finger into the formula's container, spin the container and remove her nail polish.

Sally Hansen has new Hard As Nails.(Nail Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Del Laboratories Inc. has improved the formula for its Sally Hansen Hard As Nails line, introducing Sally Hansen Advanced Hard As Nails. The stronger formula is available in 40 shades.

It's a good time to get creative again.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- With the exception of only one or two product areas, beauty care has not been a strong point for chain drug stores over the past year. Nail care typifies that trend, with sales falling in almost every portion of the category....

Busy women find artificial nails are best.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- While the artificial nail care segment continues to struggle, those in the industry say there is ample room to be optimistic about things to come. French manicure designs, they note, have generated most of the excitement in the...

Medic micromerchandising pays off.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... CLEVELAND -- Few segments of the cosmetics market are more important to Medic Drug than nail care. "I think nail care/nail polish, mascara and lipstick are the most vital parts of our cosmetics mix," says Sally Yanke, who has been the...

Drug chains have their own special approaches.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Nail care is an important beauty segment for drug stores, and each chain has its own way of merchandising the category. The trade class holds the largest share of nail care sales in the mass market and uses the segment as a way...

Boomers, latest styles push implements in new direction.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- With sales of nail implements slowly edging forward in recent months, the product area is one of few bright spots in the nail care category. What is more, a recent spate of innovative new products and shifting demographics...

Self-treatment gains in fighting nail fungus.(Nail Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- With sales of nail care items in a steady decline, one of the segments seen as being able to jump-start the category is treatments. A steady stream of new products to help keep nails healthy and strong, and an increasing number...

Heiner Gurtler is named to head P&G global units.(Hair Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) is combining the global professional business of Wella, P&G Clairol, Prestige Beaute Fine Fragrances and Cosmopolitan Cosmetics under the leadership of Heiner Gurtler. Gurtler, who had been chief executive officer of...

Cussons buys Worthington.(Hair Care News)(Charles Worthington Hair & Beauty Co.)(PZ Cussons PLC)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Charles Worthington Hair & Beauty Co. has been acquired by PZ Cussons PLC, marketer of Imperial Leather, Carex and Original Source. Worthington products are carried by Walgreen Co., Brooks Pharmacy, Albertsons Inc., Longs Drug Stores, Duane...

Galderma debuts treatment for psoriasis.(Hair Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Galderma Laboratories LP has introduced Clobex shampoo to treat adult psoriasis. Clobex features the clobetasol molecule favored by dermatologists in a formulation that will support patient compliance, according to Galderma president Albert...

Word is out, 'excitement' is what's needed.(Hair Care sales)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Hair care sales are languishing, say chain drug merchandisers, and they are pleading with suppliers to add excitement to the category. The market's poor sales will only turn around, says Duane Reade Inc. divisional merchandise...

Chains build presence via show participation.(Hair Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- The hair care category at Duane Reade Inc. was expected to get a lift this month with the chain's exhibition at a major beauty show here. Duane Reade was slated to have a pavilion at the inaugural Pathways to Beauty and...

Hair loss in women a treatable problem.(Hair Care)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- While women with hereditary hair loss do not like to discuss it, the condition can cause them to feel unattractive, depressed and alone. And with 24 million American women--one in four across the country--suffering from it, the...

Boomers, money, innovation are factors.(The Skin Care Equation)
September 13, 2004... Take an aging but appearance-conscious consumer base with plenty of disposable income, add a new product environment characterized by innovation and technological advances, multiply by a healthy dose of retail merchandising ingenuity and an...

Making a strong statement.(The Skin Care Equation)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Change usually comes slowly in the retailing industry, but inevitably it arrives, as can be seen from the skin care departments of several leading drug chains. CVS Corp. provides a dramatic example. Confronting a lack of differentiation...

Looking younger the natural way.(The Skin Care Equation)(antiaging )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Sustained interest in the antiaging segment and consumer excitement about spa-type products are two bright spots in the skin care category, according to David Woolf, executive vice president of retail sales at American International Industries....

The 'age of cosmeceuticals' dawns.(The Skin Care Equation)(baby boomer women consumers)
September 13, 2004... With large numbers, an unprecedented commitment to health and well-being and ample disposable income, baby boomer women represent a vital segment for retailers and manufacturers to target. While these women may feel young at heart, their...

Growing old with more money to spend.(The Skin Care Equation)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The baby boom generation is composed of Americans born between 1946 and 1964. Every eight seconds another boomer turns 50. That is 4 million per year. Today, adults age 50 and over represent 38% of the population of the United States, and that...

A department unlike any other.(The Skin Care Equation)
September 13, 2004... Many drug chains are taking steps to make their skin care departments more upscale and attractive to shoppers, but Katz Group Canada Ltd. has just raised the bar considerably. Partnering with L'Oreal Paris, Katz recently opened a...

The big three trends.(The Skin Care Equation)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Three of the most important trends driving developments in chain drug stores" skin care merchandising are a strong European influence, the need for chains to differentiate themselves from their competitors, and an emerging emphasis on vitamins,...

"Looks good, feels good'.(Facial; baby boomers target of new skin care products )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Dozens of suppliers, large and small, are targeting aging baby boomers with new facial skin care products that promise to reduce wrinkles and turn back time. Retailers report that so far there is no sign of any slackening demand for these...

Starting point for skin care.(Facial )
September 13, 2004... Skin care is an expansive, multifaceted and mature category, and likely the most competitive in the chain drug store beauty mix. Within the overall skin care category facial products is the segment with the highest profile and the one offering...

In the ongoing search for health and beauty.(Facial; FDA warns cosmetics suppliers whose products stray into regulated area of drugs)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Since the introduction of products containing such breakthrough new ingredients as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, facial skin care has been a segment in which the distinction between...

Spa experience hits mass.(Facial)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... One of the hottest segments in facial skin care is spa services, a market that has doubled in size to about $9 billion in annual sales of skin and body care spa treatments over the past four years, according to research conducted by Feedback...

Antiaging made affordable at home.(Facial)
September 13, 2004... Over the past decade or so there has been a gradual migration of high-end skin care products to the chain drug and other mass market trade classes from the department and specialty store sector. The factors driving that trend--often referred to...

Regimens have boutique cachet.(Facial)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Multi-item facial treatment regimens can drive up average cash register rings and profits in chain drug skin care departments, and suppliers continue to roll out a steady stream of new entries. While such leading suppliers as Procter &...

Shoppers are open.(Hand & Body)
September 13, 2004... Hand and body lotions comprise a segment of skin care that, like many other segments in this constantly changing category, has seen its boundaries blur and its definition evolve. A decade or so ago the hand and body segment consisted almost...

In today's market brands are pacesetters.(Hand & Body; private label sales declining )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Private label plays a major role in the hand and body lotion segment of skin care, outselling all individual brands, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI). However, private label sales have been declining at a faster rate than overall...

'Problem solvers'.(Hand & Body)(E.T. Browne Drug Company Inc.Es Palmer brand products receiving positive reviews)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Products that target specific consumer needs--especially "problem solvers"--are doing very well in the hand and body segment of the skin care category, and vendors that provide them are being rewarded with strong growth and improved relations...

'Casual luxury' is in.(Bath & Shower; drug stores outperforming other retailers in specialty bath)
September 13, 2004... In an environment where overall category growth has slowed, chain drug stores are outperforming other mass market retailers in specialty bath. "Bath continues to be a solid performer, especially in gift sets," says the category manager at...

Niche items lend appeal, charm to bath & shower.(Bath & Shower; Schroeder and Tremayne Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The idea of bathing as an experience of relaxation, mild therapy and even self-indulgence is common in many parts of the world but still gaining traction in the United States. As it grows, so does demand for spa-type bath products, and many...

'Take care of yourself'.(Bath & Shower; trend in niche products)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Bath and body has a well-deserved reputation as fertile ground for innovative new products and having an atmosphere that has been more welcoming to smaller suppliers than that found in such skin care segments as facial moisturizers and hand...

A different kind of experience.(Bath & Shower; St. Ives Whipped Silk collection )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Bath and body has seen a number of breakthrough technological innovations in new products recently, such as St. Ives Whipped Silk, a collection of mousselike moisturizers and body washes from St. Ives Laboratories Inc., an arm of Alberto-Culver...

Soap ready to rebound.(Bath & Shower; merchandising strategy of drugstores)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Overall sales in the soaps category may be down a bit lately, but data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI) paints a picture of a market segment that is changing in ways that could bode well for chain drug retailers. The top-selling brand...

'Natural's not a fad anymore; it's bona fide trend'.(Bath & Shower)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... A bright spot in bath and body, as well as in other segments of the skin care category, is the booming demand for natural and organic products. Since 1998 the market for natural personal care products has grown by more than half, reaching $2.6...

In a mature category, there's room to grow.(Therapeutic)(skin care products)
September 13, 2004... Over the years skin care has evolved into a mass market category with one foot in two worlds. While it is commonly thought of as a component of the beauty business by drug chains and other retailers--a perception shared by the vast majority of...

New ingredients do better.(skin care products)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Skin care sales may be driven primarily by consumers' desire to improve their appearance, but the category's therapeutic heritage is reflected in the increasingly efficacious ingredients used in product formulation. Among them are: * Alpha...

Depilatories a chain drug staple.(Therapeutic)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Depilatories represent a relatively small niche in the overall skin care market, but it is one where chain drug stores dominate mass market sales. The drug channel accounts for more than 65% of the roughly $110 million in annual sales of...

An opportunity turns golden.(Therapeutic)
September 13, 2004... Ache treatments are a bright spot in the therapeutic segment of skin care, with drug store sales up more than 16% last year, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI). While its growth rate has moderated a bit in 2004, the acne treatments...

An old standard is spruced up for relaunch.(Therapeutic)(Idelle Labs Ltd)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Acne can be a problem at any age, but it is most common among teenagers, and they are the biggest consumers of acne treatment and cleansing products. Idelle Labs Ltd., a Helen of Troy company, is targeting that market with its relaunch of the...

Scar management becomes something to deal with.(Therapeutic)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... One of the hottest growth segments in therapeutic skin care is scar management, according to such leading chain drug retailers as Rite Aid Corp. In this segment, as in others of the skin care category, demand for products is driven by...

Retailers connect in their own special way.(Hair Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- Chain drug retailers are deploying an array of merchandising innovations to revive hair care sales--from a new prototype to an in-house H&BA magazine. Hair care products are featured prominently in the new prototype being...

Freeman sets autumn relaunch for Papaya line.(Hair Care News)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Freeman Beauty Labs is reintroducing the Freeman Papaya line of shampoos and conditioners. The rollout brings back a line that was popular in the 1990s. The products have been updated with vivid pictures of papayas on wrap labels to create...

Formula Latina is up for award.(Hair Care News)(JossClaude Products)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Formula Latina conditioner for long hair from JossClaude Products has been nominated for the inaugural Beauty Awards from Glamour en Espanol magazine. The product is purported to be the first conditioner at retail created just for long hair and...

Natural, organic items strike chord.(Hair Care)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK -- The natural and organic segment has been one of the few bright spots in the struggling hair care category, say chain drug merchandisers. "The customer response to our expanded assortment of natural products, including hair...