New Products

SUPPLIER NEWS — According to a Nielsen report issued last month, higher consumer confidence levels, increased impulse buying and consumer intent to spend more could all lead to an upside surprise in 2012 holiday spending. Pet care will be one growth sector; Neilsen predicted pet owners will drive 5.9% dollar and 3.1% unit growth. The rest of home care, including cleaning and households products — even holiday wrapping paper — will see modest, price-driven dollar gains and unit sales declines, according to Nielsen.


The opportunity for weight loss certainly hasn’t gone away — sales of diet-aid liquids were up 12.8% to $1.2 billion for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 9 across food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart), according to SymphonyIRI. And due to the temporary absence of GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli — unavailable because of a raw-ingredient sourcing issue — sales of diet-aid tablets are down with a 7% decline to a dollar base of 
$205.4 million. 
Alli had been removed from the market in March due to the third-party supply issue and returned in late June. 


New introductions should put some heat back into the soup category. The category’s performance — according to a recent report from Mintel — has been lukewarm, with a compounded annual growth rate of only 1% from 2006 to 2011.

Mintel expects performance to improve as the economy bounces back and as manufacturers bring more innovation to the sleepy category. The market research firm expects the soup market to reach $7.2 billion in sales in current dollars by 2016, a compounded growth of more than 2%.

Whatever dazzling visions science fiction may offer of the widgets of the future, the long, uphill road of technology inevitably leads to the smaller and the simpler. The horse and carriage gave way to the automobile; vacuum tubes gave way to transistors; and computers that took up entire rooms and required intricate climate-control technologies now fit in one’s pocket. 


Technologies used in health care have undergone a similar transition, and much of that has happened in the last few years thanks to the spread of mobile technology. 


TORONTO — Industry leaders at an annual retail pharmacy conference in Canada got a look at a kiosk that allows patients to order prescription drugs through an Internet connection.

TCE Group announced the introduction of its Pharma Kiosk, or PK+ terminal at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores in Toronto.

Natural Products Solutions recently announced the launch of VirMax T Testosterone. As part of that launch, DSN caught up with NPS president and CEO Marty Gallant to discuss men’s health supplements. 


DSN: Men aren’t too proactive addressing their own health issues. How do you market to them?


SUPPLIER NEWS — Beiersdorf, the U.S. subsidiary of Beiersdorf AG — a global skin care company based in Hamburg, Germany — has appointed Bill Graham as president and general manager of Beiersdorf North America. Graham previously served as president and general manager of Beiersdorf. 


SUPPLIER NEWS — Mars Chocolate has unveiled its Easter 2013 lineup. The new items this spring will include Snickers Peanut Butter Squared minis, Dove Silky Smooth white chocolate eggs, Twix minis-filled eggs, M&M’s milk chocolate fun size filled gift box, 
Snickers Eggs 2-To-Go, Snickers Peanut Butter Eggs 2-To-Go and Dove Silky Smooth white chocolate bunny. The new Easter products carry a suggested retail price range of 60 cents to $3.99.