Sun care brings bright sales … thanks, in part, to line extensions

Drug Store News,  Oct 14, 1991  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Dale Rogers, buyer at the deep discounter, thinks sun care benefited from good weather, and that manufacturers helped improve the year by culling slow-moving items from their lines. He cited Johnson & Johnson's Sundown, and Coppertone, Bain de Soleil and Hawaiian Tropic.

His best sellers this season were Coppertsone's two bonus packs: the 10-ounce Coppertone SPF 4 Lotion with two ounces free and the 8-ounce Copperstone SPF 15 shrink-wrapped with a free 4-ounce after-tan.

The new Sports Lotions from Coppertone and Bain de Soleil did well this year, as did sunless tanning products, which Drug Emporium displayed in January and February to capture early sales. Almay Sun Care also sold well, Rogers said, thanks to aggressive marketing.

Other hot shots: Banana Boat, now the chain's third or fourth best selling sun care line, depending on market, and Protecteur Gentile from Bain de Soleil. Colored zinc brands were also popular.

For next season, Rogers is looking at the new Vuarnet sun care line. He's investigating the possibility of merchandising Vuarnet together with some T-shirts.

"The sun care line has a good looking package, and it's a natural tie-in with soft goods. Currently, we're not doing anything with soft goods, but we are relaying out sun care, and this would be a good opportunity to try out some related merchandising," Rogers said. "It would make the department more of a destination for our shoppers, and it should certainly attract the teen market. We might do it with Panama Jack too," he adds.

Over the past six months, Drug Emporium has been creating seasonal sections in their stores for sun, Christmas, Halloween and Valentine's Day. As the deep discounter realigns and opens

Self tanning and after-sun

lead growth in sun care

                      1990           1991
                   2nd quarter    2nd quarter
  Segment            $ sales        $ sales      % chng.
  Self tanning        $ 7.9          $ 8.4          6%
  After sun             1.0            1.2          6 (*)
  Suntan lotions
  SPF 0 to 4           25.0           17.6        (29)
  Suntan lotions
  SPF 5 plus           37.5           31.1        (17)
  Sun care             71.6           58.2        (19)
  (*) Due to rounding.

Source: Towne-Oller Drug Store Audit.

stores, it's taking the back wall beginning at the end of Aisle One and devoting 28 to 32 feet to seasonal.

Bill's Drug

Buyer Liz Spera was evaluating category sellthroughs at press time. With spotty weather in her west coast markets, sales may not be up significantly. But the chain bought conservatively, so sellthroughs may have been OK.

Spera said J&J did some "guerilla marketing" to support its Piz Buin line, giving away free samples and advertising often, so she's interested in seeing what develops.

Some negative stories in the press about high level SPGs may mean that her best sellers this year would be moderate SPGs of 15 and 20.

Meanwhile, UV sun and skin care items are getting off to a slow start in her markets, which Spera thinks may indicate "consumers will need some educating before they fully catch on."

Tan Magnifiers were hot in Bill's stores last year, but this year Spera says she hasn't heard that many people asking for them.

Over the years, Banana Boat has grown steadily at Bill's and, this year, the brand introduced a service program that Spera, as well as store managers, loved. The company introduced a van delivery system, and routinely visited each store, taking back what wasn't selling and refilling orders as product sold.

Kinney Drug

Buyer Robert Burtis reports a "very good season," despite heavy rains on the Fourth of July.

Tan Magnifiers, Sport Lotions and Baby Sunblocks, especially SPF 45, did well in Kinney stores, Curtis said.

For the first time, colored zinc sunblocks sold well, he said. He was pleasantly surprised at his sales of sun sticks for lips.

He had excellent sell-throughs on the Vaseline Intensive Care sun care lines, Bain de Soleil, especially the self tanners, Hawaiian Tropic, Sundown and Coppertone.

Douglas-Maxi Drug

Buyer Steve Dubin says sun care sales at the Rhode Island chain soared over last year. Among the hottest sellers: sports lotions and sunless tanning lotions from Coppertone and Bain de Soleil, tan magnifiers, and Almay sun care items.

This season, Dubin bought a line of budget sun products under the brand name No Ad. "They really did well for us," he said. "We ran it on ad and it sold and, without advertising, it sold. With the economy as it is, people are looking for value. For $2.99, you can do a whole beach with this line."

Dubin got good turns from the Banana Boat counterpack of new skin lotions. He says there isn't much advertising for the line, but the clear packaging makes the colored formulas stand out.

K&B

In Louisiana, K&B suffered heavy rains this past May, which hurt their early sun care sales. Buyer Chuck Gautreaux says the early rains cost K&B "a number of missed selling opportunities," so he is dealing with some returns this season.