General Merchandise

SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs announced today its “School Tools for Kids in Need” drive — a helping hand for teachers assisting local students with school supplies, running now through Aug. 31.

Bartell Drugs is welcoming donations of school supplies for its 10th annual “School Tools for Kids in Need” at 59 Bartell Drugs locations. The drive supports students in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties through World Vision’s Teacher Resource Center in Fife.

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass. — Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC, an affiliate of IMG College, and the Yankee Candle Company Inc., today announced the launch of a new co-branded collegiate-themed candle line. The Fan Candle Collegiate Collection, which debuted July 8, features 23 CLC institutions including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

SAN FRANCISCO — Method Products, PBC, a manufacturer of eco-friendly home cleaning, laundry and personal care products, is innovating in the dish category again, this time with the launch of Power Foam dish soap — a foaming dish soap in an ergonomic trigger spray bottle.

NEW YORK — The family that runs American Greetings card company is taking the company back to private, according to published reports.

The New York Times reported today that American Greetings is no longer trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The family that has run the business for more than a century, along with several investors, is said to acquire the Cleveland-based company in April.

CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Pacific Shore Holdings, Inc., introduced the new Thermal-Aid Zoo animal "Mini's". The Thermal-Aid Zoo animals are a 100% natural therapeutic, heating/cooling plush animals specifically designed for kids, to reduce swelling, ease pain and give kids of all ages a "huggable" pal year round, the company stated. The Mini's are smaller versions of the original Thermal-Aid Zoo animal, which the company founder Matthew Mills calls the "next big collectable."

OMAHA, Neb. — Sergeant's Pet Care Products has created an innovative product called Vetscription PetSTOP! behavior correction spray for dogs and cats to help modify destructive or aggressive behavior. This new spray combines noise and a specially developed pheromone mist to provide quick, effective results. The spray's patent-pending pheromone mist is longer-lasting than noise products alone, so it helps redirect the pet's attention and behavior, and reminds pets not to re-engage in negative behavior, such as excessive barking, chewing or pulling on a leash.

According to a July 2013 poll of more than 500 AccentHealth viewers with children of school age, kid's annual physicals and back-to-school shopping go hand-in-hand. Approximately 75% of respondents take their child for a back-to-school physical. Of those, 4-out-of-5 do so at least four weeks before the first day of school-the time at which the majority of viewers indicate their back-to-school shopping kicks off.

The pervasiveness of Facebook and Twitter has not killed the greeting card and gift wrap category. "Managers are telling us that the category continues to hold its own and, in some cases, is growing nicely," said Mark Deuschle, VP business development and chief marketing officer at the Global Marketing Development Center. "Greeting cards remain not only a top trip driver, but also one of the most profitable categories in the drug store environment," said Sabrina Wiewel, VP of Hallmark's chain drug team.