In this Issue

Consumers’ desire for convenient, value-added solutions — not to mention their battle with more oral care issues as they age or take certain prescribed medications — likely has been the catalyst for the strong growth in 
portable oral care products.


Happy days are here again! Consumer confidence rebounded 1.6 points in April from a dip in March, according to the Consumer Confidence Index, despite the fact that high-gas-price stories are dominating the airwaves. That suggests consumers may be willing to try new things again — in other words, to buy something new — and that is excellent news for niche manufacturers.


It’s not often a niche brand manufacturer attempts to resuscitate what has been for years a commoditized category. But that’s exactly what Meda Consumer Healthcare will be attempting to do with iron — establish a good/better/best proposition to a supplemented category best defined as mediocre. For the 52 weeks ended April 16, mineral supplement sales were down 3.3% to $534 million across food, drug and mass (including Walmart), according to Nielsen Group data.


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Success is often one of the biggest blind spots a company can have, because you’re so busy doing well you don’t have the time to assess what it is you’re doing. That is one of the core reasons for being for the Mack Elevation Forum, “a share group on steroids,” described program founder Dan Mack, EVP of strategic business development for the Swanson Group, which hosted its most recent meeting on April 29 here at the Hilton Scottsdale.

CVS Caremark’s Larry Merlo passed the NACDS chairman’s gavel to H-E-B’s Bob Loeffler. Tom Ryan and Mary Sammons were first-time-ever co-recipients of the Sheldon Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award. NACDS announced it would consolidate its show calendar in 2013. … It was a busy 2011 Annual Meeting. And DSN covered it all. If you missed our Show Dailies, click here to see what our cameras saw.

Spice consumption is at an all-time high as consumers’ changing palates are craving more flavor. During the 1950s, Americans stocked less than 10 spices in their pantries. Today, the average American’s pantry includes up to 40 different and diverse spices, according to research from McCormick & Co.



The supplier in the greeting card aisle may not be enough to capture consumer interest. While smaller, niche players make up less than 5% of category sales, according to one manufacturer, those companies can offer a point of differentiation to retailers that larger manufacturers can’t provide.


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