Center Store

Momentum in the beer category is coming from craft beers. “Craft beers are growing at a 10% clip,” said Eric Shepard, executive editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights. “Seasonals and variety packs are the big news, and Indiana Pale Ales are very hot right now.” 


SUPPLIER NEWS — Rockin’ Green’s laundry detergent formulas — Soft, Classic and Hard Rock — will feature a new scent and packaging. The company said it is replacing its original Plain Green Tea’s scent with a scent called Earth, Wind and Orchids. Rockin’ Green said that its Funk Rock product, which is an ammonia bouncer, will be available in a printed, 16-oz. stand-up pouch with a zipper; its Shake It Ups also will be packaged in a printed stand-up pouch, but will feature a spout instead of a zipper.


PURCHASE, N.Y. — Mountain Dew is delivering a blast from the past to consumers with the return of Mountain Dew Throwback.

The beverage, which is made with real sugar, initially was brought back in 2009 for a limited time. Now, the soft drink has gained a permanent home on store shelves.

PARIS — General Mills now has a 51% stake in Yoplait S.A.S. and a 50% interest in a related entity that holds the worldwide Yoplait brands, the company announced Friday.

General Mills acquired the ownership stakes from Europe-based private equity firm PAI Partners and Sodiaal, the largest dairy cooperative in France, for about $1.2 billion. With this transaction, Yoplait will be governed by a supervisory board with representation from General Mills and Sodiaal, as the remaining ownership stakes in both entities will continue to be held by Sodiaal.

Consumables have long been a major component of any drug store’s product mix, but where stores historically have limited their offerings to soft drinks, candy and beer, more of them now are selling fresh produce and prepared foods.


SUPPLIER NEWS — Post Foods has expanded its Pebbles cereal lineup with a limited-edition flavor. New Pebbles Boulders Stone Age caramel apple now is available on store shelves nationwide. Each serving of the new cereal, which features caramel-flavored boulders and dinosaur bones, contains 110 calories and 16 g of whole grains, while providing 10 essential vitamins and minerals, Post said. Post said it will continue to introduce more limited-edition Boulders flavors throughout the year.



Photo-processing is evolving, but it is far from finished. “While consumers are capturing, deleting and electronically sharing more images than ever before, they also are motivated to print larger [photos] and utilize their special images in other product forms,” said Bing Liem, VP sales for Fujifilm North America.


Retailers are finding profit opportunities in the “expressions” market, according to Gary Pageau, publisher of content development and strategic initiatives at the Photo Marketing Association.


PAWTUCKET, R.I. — The Super Soaker brand has been a huge hit for Hasbro. The toys have been among the hottest summer products on the market, and new upgraded versions will become the next must-have for water play. 


The newest version in the Hasbro water blaster family is the Nerf Super Soaker Thunderstorm. The Thunderstorm, introduced this spring, is the first battery-powered soaker on the market and fires a continuous stream of water with no pumping required. The firing range can be up to 25 ft. Nerf Thunderstorm requires four AA batteries and retails for $14.99.