In this Issue


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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TEANECK, N.J. — Aetrex Worldwide is bringing shoppers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience featuring the most advanced technology in the footwear industry with the opening of its first retail concept in Englewood, N.J. An invite-only grand opening celebration will be held June 2.



The wider availability of relaxants and perms — which largely are geared toward African-American hair — coupled with consumers seeking greater value due to a challenging economy has helped fuel sales of the niche segment.


The $290 billion that poor medication adherence costs the U.S. economy every year cuts across every imaginable disease state, but one in which it can be particularly problematic is mental health.


In an interesting twist, and undoubtedly a clear reflection of the blurring lines within beauty, Macy’s has implemented an open-sell concept of niche beauty brands inside select store locations.


By October 2010, Impulse Beauty had made its way into more than 50 Macy’s stores across the country. An additional 50 Macy’s stores are expected to debut the concept in 2011. Impulse Beauty complements the department store’s traditional beauty counters, and enables customers to shop beauty brands on their own and seek help from beauty advisers if needed.


Walgreens not only is the “Way to Well,” it also is the “Way to Stay Well,” as evidenced by this shelf talker in the dietary supplement aisle that contains a 44-page pamphlet titled “Vitamins & Supplements Q&A: Your A to Z Shopping Guide.”


Inside are reasons to take supplements to both improve health and prevent disease. Specific supplement topics include the best supplements to take to help manage healthy blood-glucose levels, as well as bone and joint, cognitive, heart, immune and prenatal health. 


The new Pharmaca stores make a very bold statement about the relationship between pharmacy and prevention. The company unveiled its new store design in Menlo Park, Calif., in November 2010. The 6,800-sq.-ft. store continues Pharmaca’s “integrative pharmacy” model, which emphasizes holistic approaches to health care and features eight licensed practitioners.