Financial News

As Seen on TV products continue to command more space on drug store shelves, not only during the holiday season but year-round.

The first quarter of 2013 is looking strong since manufacturers have a number of new products on the market that have already proven popular with consumers.

“Manufacturers have been spending on ads to drive sales, but there have also been some great products,” said Mike Govindani, president of Screen2Store. “The category was strong last year, and business is up again for 2013.”

GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli is back. And while the brand is still slightly down versus year-ago sales  — Alli posted a sales decline of 8.9% to $13.9 million across all channels for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 4, according to SymphonyIRI Group — overall, the category is trending up 15% in quarterly sales increases. The recent resumption of marketing efforts behind Alli coupled with recent New Year’s resolutions should maintain Alli’s position as the top-selling diet-aid tablet, and the only OTC option in the category.

The world market for generic drugs will jump more than 15% this year and reach a global total of $127.8 billion, a British market research firm predicted.

NEW YORK — Despite caution among consumers, retailers wrapped up 2012 with a healthy holiday shopping season, according to a new report by a retailing trade group.

The National Retail Federation said Tuesday that holiday retail sales increased 3% over the year before, to $579.8 billion. December retail sales increased 0.8% seasonally adjusted from November and 2.1% unadjusted year over year. Nevertheless, the 3% increase was still below the NRF's projected 4.1% growth. Meanwhile, nonstore holiday sales grew 11.1%.

In the current economy, microwavable single-serve meals may be the answer to consumers’ decreased restaurant use. “These meals occupy the spot between homemade and restaurant meals,” said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and VP at NPD Group. “They represent food
service redefined.”

NEW YORK — A recent survey commissioned by Dannon found that 68% of consumers believe certain probiotics help regulate the digestive system, yet one-third of Americans agree that they don’t get enough probiotics in their average daily diets.

That suggests an upside for an already hot category — sales of probiotics were up 16.2% across all channels to $232 million for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 28, according to SymphonyIRI Group data.

NEW YORK — Pet supplements represent a new mostly untapped market opportunity for the OTC section in the retail pharmacy setting. Consumers spent an estimated $52.9 billion last year on their pets, up 3.7% as compared with 2011 actual sales, according to the American Pet Products Association.

NEW YORK — CVS/pharmacy has decided to stock Tylenol pain reliever in only half of its stores, according to a Reuters report published Monday. 

According to the report, CVS will stock Tylenol in each market, but not in each store as CVS seeks to plug any out-of-stock holes left behind by the initial recall of Tylenol three years ago and the brand's slow trek back to shelf.