In this Issue

Sales of vitamins and minerals represent a $6.5 billion book of business that’s growing at a 5.2% clip across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Nov. 3, 2013, according to IRI.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, leading up to January 2013, 45% of Americans made a New Year’s resolution. Of those, 38% were weight-related resolutions. In fact, losing weight was the No. 1 resolution, beating out “getting organized” and “spend less, save more.”

Expect 2014 to be an interesting year for beauty as the category continues to see increased innovation, blurring of the lines and cross-pollination.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

What does that mean? Perhaps research firm Mintel summed it up best by coining it a year of the “mixologiste.”

Whether it is rose hip seed oil, Argan oil, jojoba oil, olive oil or Kukui oil, incorporating oil into a skin care regimen is the buzz, and it is likely that the segment will gain even greater attention during 2014.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

The electronic cigarette category is booming. Smokers continue to migrate to the devices, and improved technology and lower price points are fueling sales. Manufacturers say that customized tobacco flavors will propel sales going forward.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

We have an annual holiday tradition at DSN that helped inspire the image on our cover. As the event, a group lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, dovetails with the end of college football season, we call it the “Rice Bowl.”

The Rice Bowl concludes with each person throwing in $1, and we go around the table comparing fortune cookie messages; the one with the “best” fortune as voted by the group gets the pot.

This year I finally won. I walked away with a whopping $5.

A deal announced last month between CVS Caremark and Cardinal Health created a joint venture that the companies said would be the largest generic drug sourcing entity in the United States.

Each company will have a 50% stake in the joint venture, contributing its respective sourcing and supply chain expertise. The deal also included an extension of Cardinal Health’s existing pharmaceutical distribution agreement with CVS Caremark through June 2019.