General Merchandise

This holiday season will be both a splurge and save season for toys. Parents will splurge for one or two toys, but will round out their holiday shopping with less expensive items, according to Adrienne Appell, a spokesperson for the Toy Industry Association.


FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Pedigree’s new Dentastix line of oral care products for pets fights “dog breath.” These new Fresh Treats for dogs work to help banish bad breath and help with overall oral care, including tartar control.


Oral care is the No. 1 health issue veterinarians see in dogs. Research from The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition indicates that bad breath can be a sign of such canine oral care issues as gum disease. Advanced, untreated gum disease can be associated with the development of heart and kidney disease, as well as some forms of cancer.

ATLANTA — A majority of retailers say delivering a consistent customer experience is their top priority this holiday season, according to a new survey.

Supply chain and retail technology provider RedPrairie released results of its "Holiday Hiring Snapshot" survey of 250 big-box, specialty, grocery, convenience store and food service retailers based in the United States, finding that nearly 60% cited the importance of consistency, with 29% saying they would hire more seasonal workers this year than last year.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Static Guard has partnered with celebrity fashion stylist Phillip Bloch to launch the year-long Stylist's Secret Weapon Campaign, the company announced Tuesday.

Bloch, who has experience dressing award-winning celebrities for the red carpet, will encourage style mavens across the country to unleash their inner stylista by embracing Static Guard. The partnership between the Hollywood stylist and Static Guard will include several appearances at key fashion and industry film events as well as social media contests and giveaways.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ballantyne Brands, an electronic cigarette provider, on Monday announced the introduction of a new premium brand, NEO. The company also announced that it has acquired the Mistic brand of electronic cigarettes for an undisclosed amount, and has secured an investment partner to support its business for the long term.

MINNEAPOLIS – The pranksters at 30 Watt have introduced a new way to fool family and friends this holiday season, with a fake new product that supposedly solves the issue of hard-to-reach electrical devices — Connect-A-Cord, 50 one-foot sections of cord — the company announced on Monday.

With 50 separate cords, Connect-A-Cord is a new solution to tangled cords, the product's box claims. The product's packaging also boasts that it comes with an optional contractor case for tangle-free storage.

ALLEGAN. Mich. — Business for OTC store brands is expected to boom in the coming year, Perrigo chairman and CEO Joseph Papa told analysts discussing the private-label manufacturer's first-quarter results during a conference call Wednesday, even as the growth rate across the entire OTC category slows. "What we are seeing though, is the continued acceleration of store brand as being the reason why we're seeing the growth in our OTC category. For us to have a 9.4% growth in our OTC category, we think is a strong indication," Papa said. 

UNION BEACH, N.J. — In partnership with the American Red Cross, beginning Nov. 6, the P&G Mobile Relief Center will be stationed in Union Beach, N.J., to provide showers, personal care kits, household products — including Bounty, Charmin, Tide and Dawn — and baby products, including Pampers diapers and wipes, to victims of Hurricane Sandy, Procter & Gamble announced Monday. This service will be free to all victims, responders and their families.