General Merchandise

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Cesar has launched its Meaty Selects line.

WASHINGTON — The air is getting colder and retailers are already gearing up for the Christmas season, but before they do that, they will have to get through Halloween.

According to a recent NRF consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, Halloween will be a big deal this year, with seven in 10 Americans saying they plan on celebrating the holiday. Consumers are expecting to spend more too; the average person will spend $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $72.31 last year, with total Halloween spending expected to reach $8 billion.

HAMPSHIRE, Ill. — A remedy for odors that lurk in trash cans has entered the market.

Trash Dash, a new item marketed under the BestAir brand, is a sodium bicarbonate-based product that is designed to enhance indoor air quality and add a fresh scent to trash or recycling containers by absorbing odors.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Private-label sales continue to advance in the nonfood pet supplies market, according to a new Packaged Facts report.

"Pet Supplies and Pet Care Products in the U.S.," which tracked mass market sales of nonfood pet supplies, found that sales increased by just 1% during the 52 weeks ended in May, while private-label sales of such products experienced a 15% jump. This strong performance lifted the private-label share of pet supplies by two percentage points to 23%. The private-label share peaks with dog chews, holding at 42% of dollar sales.

SUPPLIER NEWS — Lysol has introduced its latest line of household products that highlights the versatility of hydrogen peroxide. The Lysol Power and Free line is comprised of a multipurpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet and bathroom wipes. The Power and Free line may be used on a variety of surfaces with no rinsing needed. The lineup carries a suggested retail price range of $2.52 to $3.86 and is available in Citrus Sparkle, Cool Spring Breeze and Oxygen Splash scents.


Housewares have moved beyond the Christmas selling season at drug stores. The products are becoming a year-round category for the channel as drug chains find ways to tie in kitchen items, tabletop accessories and appliances to key selling seasons.

ATLANTA — Case-Mate has released a portfolio of cases for the new Apple iPhone 5.

As of Sept. 15, California became the eighth state in which Amazon.com will levy sales taxes on purchases made by residents in that state. Pennsylvania joined that group two weeks prior. Add to that the five states that don’t have any sales taxes, and that’s 13 states where national brick-and-click retailers are competing on a level playing field with the pure-play online retail juggernaut.