Search

Hearing aid and coin batteries are outperforming other battery segments. Fueled by an aging population that is more willing than ever before to wear hearing aids, the hearing aid battery [...]

After a strong performance for several years, sales of sports drinks are showing some fatigue. The category, which had registered double-digit growth for the last several years, saw sales flatten [...]

Yoga products have become a high growth category, and drug store retailers are finding ways to capitalize on the growing trend. 'Yoga participation has grown at a 12% compounded annual [...]

While it's tough to be an indulgent food in a health-conscious society, chocolate candy is still seeing growth in a few key segments. While the category is finding its balance [...]

Cider may be the most exciting new segment in the beer category. A recent report from Mintel indicated that in the United Kingdom, the market penetration of cider is now [...]

The Price Chopper supermarket chain continually updates its stores. Over the past five years, the chain has invested $46 million in revamping 11 of its stores and plans to spend [...]

Aurora Pharmacy, part of Aurora Health Care, operates more than 70 pharmacies in Wisconsin and Illinois. Many pharmacy locations are full-service drug stores offering prescription services, as well as OTC [...]

Last year, Discount Drug Mart rolled out a new pharmacy program and continued to remodel its older stores. The chain introduced the Sync Your Meds program that encourages customers to [...]

'Medicine Shoppe franchisees have always been committed to delivering truly personalized, convenient care to their patients,' said John Fiacco, VP of Medicine Shoppe and Medicap pharmacies. 'They're seen as more [...]

Shopko may be a discount chain, but the center of the retailer's operations is still pharmacy. The retailer, which operates more than 330 stores across 13 states, began as a [...]

New technology and types of introductions could bring some heat to the frozen food category. Frozen food sales have been flat to declining for the past few years, according to [...]

Technology has certainly changed the landscape of the drug channel's general merchandise department. As categories shift, electronic accessories have become a crucial addition to the mix. Nearly 40% of all [...]

Drug chains looking to the future of the food category are likely to be putting more effort behind fresh products. Shelf-stable foods, while still a part of the mix, are [...]

Research from the Freedonia Group indicates that the mature battery category is seeing modest topline growth largely due to a shift in the product mix toward premium batteries. Growth also [...]

Brewers finally have something to celebrate. After three years of flat performance, the category is up 5.3% due to a flurry of new introductions. In an attempt to keep the [...]

Pet supplies may have had limited growth this past year, but the stars of the segment are healthcare-related products. Pet supplies saw a 2% increase, bringing sales to $11.1 billion, [...]

The energy drink category, which has enjoyed double-digit sales and unit growth for several years, faces increasing scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has said it will [...]

Consumers still have a thirst for bottled water. 'Bottled water is performing moderately well with respectable growth,' said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. Dollar sales of bottled water were [...]

As Seen on TV products continue to command more space on drug store shelves, not only during the holiday season but year-round. The first quarter of 2013 is looking strong [...]

In the current economy, microwavable single-serve meals may be the answer to consumers' decreased restaurant use. 'These meals occupy the spot between homemade and restaurant meals,' said Harry Balzer, chief [...]

Drug stores don't have to be dwarfed by home office category killers. In fact, retailers and manufacturers say drug stores, with their convenient locations, can offer the quick in and [...]

Consumers are willing to pay more for writing implements that offer a unique benefits. 'Consumers are trading up,' said Jeff Brown, senior brand manager of stationery products at Bic. 'Fashion [...]

From circulars to endcaps to convenience assortments running up to 16 feet, drug chains are using a combination of household chemicals and sharp pricing as part of their strategy to [...]

The market for blood glucose monitors is awash with new models with advanced features that make it easier than ever before for those with diabetes to maintain recommended control of [...]

In the 1980s, amidst the tide of AIDS awareness, fear was a major motivator for condom use. Advertising and public education campaigns drove home the fact that when condoms are [...]

How do you generate more dollars with fewer customers? That's a question retailers are asking themselves when they look at the baby care department. The birth rate is flattening, but [...]

Fashion drives the hair accessory business, and the big fashion news for 1996 is new finishes. Mattes, transparents, pearlescent colors and metallic finishes will be the looks for the coming [...]

Being squeezed by competition in the retail market and eroding pharmacy margins, independent pharmacies are looking for help to level the OTC playing field. And they are getting that help [...]

The greeting card category is shifting. Category giants American Greetings and Hallmark face the threat of competition from e-cards and are challenged by increased segmentation of the card category. Hallmark [...]

Handheld frozen foods have grown quickly in the last two years, and Mintel expects growth to continue. U.S. retail sales are expected to top $3.8 billion by 2016. The handheld [...]

This holiday season will be both a splurge and save season for toys. Parents will splurge for one or two toys, but will round out their holiday shopping with less [...]

After several lackluster years, cookie sales were up in 2011 and are likely to show slight gains this year. The category was buoyed largely by sales of basic cookies, according [...]

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 [...]

Retailers are facing challenges in a rapidly changing photo-processing category. One huge shift has been in category leadership. One dominant brand is no longer directing--and pouring advertising dollars into--the category, [...]

Sales of ready-to-drink teas may have slowed, but new introductions will continue to fuel the category. A recent Mintel report forecasts a sales increase of 18% from 2012 to 2017 [...]

Sales of pet supplies (excluding pet food) reached $11.1 billion last year, an increase of 2% over 2010, according to a new Packaged Facts study. Bob Vetere, president of the [...]

Candy is a sweet spot for drug retailers. The drug channel is outperforming food and mass in total category dollar sales, according to data from the National Confectioners Association. 'Total [...]

Housewares have moved beyond the Christmas selling season at drug stores. The products are becoming a year-round category for the channel as drug chains find ways to tie in kitchen [...]

Despite an economy that's still in the doldrums, the back-to-school season means parents will once again open their wallets for the annual shopping ritual. 'We expect spending to be up [...]

Snacking is no longer limited to between-meal munching. 'The food culture is changing, and snacking occasions are much broader,' said Blaine Becker, a representative for The Hartman Group. Becker said [...]

Sales of sauces and marinades have been robust as consumers prepare more meals at home. A recent SymphonyIRI MarketPulse survey found that 63% of consumers eat out less frequently today [...]

A consumer push for healthier snacks has led to an explosion of yogurt sales. Sales of yogurt have increased every year since 2006, according to Mintel. The market research firm [...]

Retailers remain bullish on the As Seen On TV category. 'Almost every As Seen On TV product outperforms other product categories in drug stores,' said AJ Khubani, CEO of TeleBrands. [...]

The beer category wants its mojo back. After losing share to wine, spirits and small breweries for several years, major brewers are out to win consumers back to the category [...]

Drug store chains have an enormous appetite for consumables. Fresh food sales--defined as dairy, deli, fresh meat and fresh produce--grew nearly 13% year over year through April, according to ACNielsen [...]

Sales of coconut water continue to soar. According to a recent report from Mintel, the U.S. market for coconut water was around $350 million in 2011, representing 2% of the [...]

Electronic cigarettes, sometimes called personal vaporizers, are making their way into the drug channel. As tobacco smoking in public is steadily becoming a thing of the past, smokers are looking [...]

Technology is changing the general merchandise aisles. Online greeting cards have grabbed share from traditional cards, and photofinishing is taking a hit as consumers move to digital photo publishing. When [...]

Walgreens' success with fresh foods has left the retailer hungry for more. In its flagship Chicago store, Walgreens has pumped up its fresh and prepared departments with a fully stocked [...]

Carbonated beverage sales may be flat, but new low- and no-calorie introductions, and a bigger marketing spend, could mean the category may have some sparkle left. PepsiCo is poised to [...]