Safety chic

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — The need to communicate crucial health conditions to 
medical personnel responding to an accident or unresponsive patient is becoming more important, especially considering the increase in such chronic conditions as diabetes or allergies. And that need is expected to become a crucial driver behind the sale of fashionable medical alert bracelets. The potential market for medical alert jewelry could be as high as 60 million patients, including 25 million with diabetes, said Shelly Fisher, president of Hope Paige, a company that recently introduced a new way to merchandise these bracelets at the pharmacy counter. Medical alert bracelets have the potential of becoming a $100 million-plus category for retail pharmacy, Fisher said. 


Hope Paige is placing a co-branded standee on pharmacy counters that feature medical bracelet order catalogs. “This is a no-inventory program for [most retailers],” Fisher added, with an average 20% built-in margin. Hope Paige does have a display with live product, however. It offers keystone pricing for those retailers that stock the bracelets in-store. Suggested retail prices for the bracelets range from $18.95 to $49.95.