Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009 - (Page 90)

Nonfoods Planning The family planning category in food stores with $2 million and over in sales is staying strong in the recession. With more consumers comfortable in the category, sales are expected to continue to grow. By Dan Alaimo Family Up Front With C © ConAgra Foods, Inc. All rights reserved. onsumers have stopped whispering about the family planning category. Many years ago, the condom customer was easy to spot. It was the guy — always a guy — hanging around the pharmacy counter until the line thinned out so he could talk privately with the pharmacist. ping carts and pay at the front. At the same time, the so-called “morning-after pill” — given the brand name Plan B by Barr Pharmaceuticals of Montvale, N.J. — is sold by pharma- Today, condoms, along with lubricants, pregnancy testing kits and some new related items are out on the shelves, and customers — men and women — don’t hesitate to put them in their shop- cists from behind the counter. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lowered the age limit for purchasing this product without a prescription from 18 to 17, following a judge’s order. Prescription sales of other contraceptives continue. Advertising and promotion for over-the-counter family planning products have increased in recent years, and there is some related impact from the heavy ad rotation on behalf of products like Viagra. Although targeting different audiences, some see the cumulative effect of all this promotion as making people more comfortable with sexual topics in general. Additionally, the Obama administration is expected to step up sexual education efforts in schools, which should be good for condom sales. “There’s a whole process that is going on about stuff that people used to whisper about that have come more and more into the open,” says Jim Wisner, president of Libertyville, Ill.-based Wisner Marketing Group. That has created an environment where individuals are more comfortable shopping for these products. “You are seeing them discussed and promoted on mainstream television and other places more often. So, it certainly is helping to grow the category,” he notes. “People are tossing it in their cart just like canned green beans. They aren’t thinking twice about it.” “There doesn’t seem to be as much of an embar- 90 • Progressive Grocer • August/September 2009 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009

Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009
Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: Alcoholic Beverages/Light Beer
CES: Inside the Market Basket: Economical Choices Bring Grocery Gains
Lempert Report: Earth-Friendly Isn’t Everything
Store of the Month: Kosher Country
Executive Insights: A View From Tops
Independents Report: Become a Leader Your Associates Will Follow
Perspectives:Wegmans Food Markets: How Two Halves Make More Than a Whole
Independent Thinking: N.G.A. Annual Independent Grocers Survey: Cream of the Crop
Fall Promotions: Tailgating Takes Over
Proteins: Meaty Alternatives
Fresh Developments: PG Looks at the Latest News From the Perimeter
Beverage Alcohol: Keeping the Aisle Afloat
Culinary Oils: Oil Can
Frozen Desserts: Frozen Desserts Heat up
Family Planning: Up Front With Family Planning
Vitamins and Supplements: Healthy Sales With a Capital ‘D’
Pharmacy: Dealing With Diabetes
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products
Equipment: Lasting Impressions: The Shopper’s Perspective

Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009