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Technology is moving ahead faster than ever, and photo processing is no exception. Technology is allowing consumers to do much more with their images; the challenge retailers face is how [...]

Last year was tough for the beverage category. In a tanking economy, consumers turned to inexpensive carbonated soft drinks, reversing a move toward healthier beverages that had been the trend [...]

The new year could mean opportunity for home-office product sales as consumers turn their attention to organizing and preparing for tax season. Office supplies represented 2% of nonprescription sales in [...]

Seasonal candy always has provided a bump in confectionery sales for retailers, and sales of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's and Easter candy are expected to be up this year. 'More than [...]

Energy drink sales still are strong in the drug store channel, but the strong mid-double-digit growth the category enjoyed for several years has flattened as the category has become more [...]

Consumer interest in better-for-you snacks, and a stream of new product introductions from manufacturers, have led to continued growth in the nut category. While nut category dollar sales overall only [...]

Duane Reade has joined the ranks of retailers beefing up their private-label consumables lines. The New York-based chain recently unveiled its DR Delish food-and-beverage brand with 25 new products. With [...]

Affordable in-home dining and entertaining will be the trend this holiday season, and consumers will be more willing to open their wallets for affordable indulgences in wine and spirits to [...]

Once-exotic flavors are becoming mainstream in the candy category. Consumers, quick to adopt new flavor profiles, are snapping up new fruit flavors and experimenting with interesting combinations in the confectionery [...]

No one expects a fantastic holiday season, but drug store retailers could generate steady sales from gifts priced under $20. Tom Bunge, president of the Food Drug Mass Marketing Co., [...]

The market for gluten-free snacks is exploding. Once the exclusive arena of niche brands, now even mainstream manufacturers are getting on board. This summer, General Mills rolled out a line [...]

It's no surprise that in the current economy, the back-to-school selling season looked bleak. Going into the heart of the season, consumers planned to spend less and to spread purchases [...]

It's back to basics for groceries. Data from Information Resources Inc. revealed that the drug channel also is grabbing a significant share of sales of basic pantry items. 'Meal ingredients [...]

Finding a bright spot in the beverage category can be daunting. The category has been hammered by changing consumer tastes, a soft economy and rising commodity pricing. 'The entire beverage [...]

Consumers are not about to be passive when it comes to their health, and that proactive mindset is fueling sales of functional foods. Whether they're designed to promote heart health, [...]

It may be time for manufacturers and retailers to redefine snacks, as consumers have been steadily reshaping the definition of what is and isn't a snack. 'Consumers are snacking in [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Glacrau Vitaminwater is keeping calorie-counting consumers interested in the beverage category with Vitaminwaterl0, a naturally sweetened, enhanced water for consumers who want the taste of a flavored water [...]

Products that simplify tasks are clear favorites with consumers, and it looks like Purex is positioned to win big with Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets. The sheets, introduced in May, [...]

Marrying better-for-you formulations with convenience proved to be a winning combination for General Mills when it introduced its line of Progresso Light soups. In collaboration with Weight Watchers, General Mills [...]

Meals on the run are a given in this hectic age, so convenience alone isn't enough to make a product a blockbuster. When a product combines great taste, a better-for-you [...]

Consumers may have been shoving wedges of lime into their Coronas for years, but it took Anheuser-Busch to bring the south-of-the-border pairing of beer and lime to the mass market [...]

The nut category has taken another hit. Kraft Foods and Kroger Co. have recalled trail mixes after the companies found or feared traces of salmonella in some products containing pistachio [...]

NEW YORK -- With no end in sight for the recession, consumers may be taking solace in sugar. Candy sales have been strong over the past few months, suggesting that [...]

With many of its stores in rural areas and small towns in the Midwest, 85-unit Thrifty White is a chain with unique opportunities. With the advent of Medicare Part D, [...]

It wasn't easy being a retailer in Michigan in 2008, but Sav-Mor found strategies to help the group of franchised pharmacies weather the storm. 'Michigan is very tough right now, [...]

A tight economy isn't all bad news for Marc's, a chain that has always stressed its everyday low price position. Founded in 1979, Marc Glassman Inc. operates 60 drug stores; [...]

Nearly all segments of the snack category were up last year in the drug store channel, according to data from Information Resources Inc. Salty snack dollar sales overall were ahead [...]

Ready-to-eat cereal and breakfast bars have been strong categories for the drug channel for some time. Ready-to-eat cold cereal dollar sales were up nearly 17% in the drug channel for [...]

The beverage industry is cautiously optimistic about the Food and Drug Administration's approval of a zero-calorie natural sweetener derived from stevia. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are rushing new products containing the [...]

There's no denying it--frugal is the new trend. Still, retailers continue to ask themselves just how much consumers are willing to give up to save a few dollars. And does [...]

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. -- Thrifty White is a textbook example of a small chain that fills a specific niche in its market. With 85 stores, it serves rural areas and [...]

Consumers may be watching their pocketbooks, but their snack preferences still are trending toward the more healthful options. While promotions were plentiful at one Walgreens store, healthful snacks were the [...]

With consumers looking to save money by eating dinner at home or grabbing lunch at their desks, sales of microwavable meals are expected to grow. The downturn in the economy [...]

Ready-to-drink iced coffee could get a boost from some introductions with unique positioning in the segment. The still-small iced-coffee category experienced strong growth in recent years, but the segment cooled [...]

Manufacturers and retailers seem to be paying more attention to how they are merchandising candy. In a recent investor update, Hershey chief executive officer David West said that in an [...]

Higher costs will no doubt affect snack sales this year, but industry experts said there's still market potential for innovative new products and healthy offerings. 'There have been a lot [...]

U.S. consumers are experiencing a shock to their wallets, and retailers are scrambling to adapt to the new marketplace. A recent report from Information Resources Inc., 'Competing in a Transforming [...]

Management at Anheuser-Busch continues to struggle against a takeover by InBev, as of press time. In an effort to fend off the $46.36 million bid by the Belgian-based brewer, A-B [...]

A recent report from Packaged Facts revealed that tea is one of the most underdeveloped beverages in the United States, with enormous potential for growth. The market research firm predicts [...]

American consumers face a crisis of environmental conscience--they want to feel as if they are behaving in an environmentally responsible way, but they are hard-pressed to give up ingrained convenience-dependence [...]

Consumers want it all from the salty snack category. They want products that satisfy a craving, but they want to feel good about what they are eating. They are looking [...]

Beer is continuing to move upmarket. With consumers clamoring after craft beers, brewers are shifting more of their offerings to higher-end products, and experts say the market is ripe for [...]

The article discusses the broad appeal of energy beverages among younger female consumers. Energy drink makers are targeting older Millennials with products positioned to address their particular health interests, such as low-sugar, healthy-aging claims, and energy requirements, including sustained energy or energy to accomplish work and health goals. The sports energy drink segment is also growing, with co-branded products and sports celebrity connections becoming more common.

The beverage category has been inundated with new products containing superfruits. These fruits, which often have exotic origins and are high in antioxidants, have been linked to a number of [...]

It's been a summer of big news from the big three carbonated beverage companies. Coca-Cola created a stir when it ramped up its non-carb acquisitions. The company's purchase of Fuze [...]

Snack bars and granola bars still have momentum in both the snack and meal replacement categories. Bar dollar sales were up 5.7 percent last year, according to Information Resources Inc. [...]

Sophisticated, multilayered flavors are driving the candy category across all segments of the business. Plain old vanilla is giving way to vanilla mint. Even lemonade--long a kid staple--is getting a [...]

Manufacturers have been putting some fizz back into the carbonated soft drink category with products that tap into consumers' focus on health and wellness. 'Growth in the category will be [...]

The drug store channel did a good job with the candy category in 2006, and a recent industry report suggests that, with a little effort, it could do even better [...]

Drug store retailers have a lot of opportunity in the beer and wine category. By expanding their selections and increasing their focus on merchandising and promotion, the channel could increase [...]