No one likes to feel ill, which is why when cold and flu season comes round retailers should ensure they’re well stocked up on medicated confectionery – and over the counter remedies.
by Kevin Scott
It may not set sales alight in the summer months, but when winter rolls around medicated confectionery comes into its own. In fact, this year Wrigley identified September as the key month for settling on your range of medical sweets and cough remedies.
It may seem harsh to call the cold and flu season a profit opportunity, but sore throats and sniffles are part of winter, and so too are remedies to these ailments. Last year, demand for Lockets increased by over 40% during this period and Wrigley expects the same will happen in 2012.
The medicated confectionery category is currently worth £86.8m, and is growing at 6.2% year-on-year. Lockets has a 10.7% share of the market – worth £9.3m and is supporting the category with year on year growth of 6.2%. Lockets Honey & Lemon is currently the best selling medicated confectionery SKU in independent and symbol stores.
Matt Austin, Wrigley Confections Business Unit Director, comments, “Don’t forget to stock up on Lockets when the cold and flu season really begins to kick in. With consumer demand increasing massively during this period, it really is a key time to maximise your sales. Lockets has a medicated license, and contain active ingredients menthol, and eucalyptus. These active ingredients are proven to help clear your nose and soothe your throat, along with a soothing honey centre and vitamin C. What’s more, they are safe to take with other medication, and as 20% of medicated confectionery is bought alongside another remedy, this provides retailers with a real incremental sales opportunity.”
Lockets is also running an advertising campaign to drive visibility of the brand during the key winter period. Utilising the brands’ ‘Help clears your nose and soothe your throat’ message, retailers will be supplied with a new POS suite to create cut through and stand out in store.
Over at Kraft, and Laura Cristea, Halls Assistant Brand Manager says that although the cold and flu season is peak selling time, there is a case for stocking all year round. She says: “In the UK, products within the medicated category, such as Halls Mentholyptus and Halls Soothers are traditionally purchased during the core cold and flu season, between September and March. However, Halls has established that there is an opportunity to extend these usage occasions for Halls Mentholytpus into more everyday occasions – times when consumers need the power of a deep breath, enabling them to rally their resolve in order to tackle everyday challenges such as facing a crowded commute to work, a first date or a tough presentation.”
Halls’ estimates that more than half its sales are currently driven by consumers who buy year round, thus proving the potential to double Halls sales in five years with this alternative direction.
As part of its new strategy, Halls is introducing a new invigorating variant. Halls Mentholyptus Assorted Citrus contains three mild menthol flavours, orange, lemon and lime, making it more relevant for everyday consumption, in addition to the traditional cold and flu season.
Supporting the launch of Assorted Citrus, the brand is simplifying its range and will receive a new look across its Mentholyptus and Soothers products, including more modern, sharper graphics to improve stand-out on shelf. In addition, each pack will now feature a ‘menthol power meter’ with a different strength for every occasion, scaling the flavour from 1 (mild) to 5 (strong). To help retailers drive impulse sales of the updated product, Halls has created a new counter display solution, enabling retailers to present both Halls Mentholyptus and Halls Soothers together to position at the most impulsive part of the store – the till.
Beating the cold
A recent YouGov survey challenged the popular notion of ‘Man Flu’. It revealed that more females rated their last cold and flu symptoms as severe compared with men. With both sexes in search of effective remedies, it explains why the current cold and flu market is worth an impressive £429m, 2012/2013 is looking bright with current growth at 24%.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare Great Britain and Ireland is a major player in the cold and flu category with a strong portfolio of leading brands including Beechams Ultra All in One and Day and Night Nurse (Paracetamol, Guaifensin, Phenylephrine hydrochloride). GSK’s focus is to rejuvenate the cold and flu category through scientific innovation and utilising its expertise within the wellbeing sector. Consumers can experience an array of different cold and flu symptoms that affect both the body and mind. 32% of consumers are looking for the strongest product available to help relieve their symptoms. Over half of all consumers treat their symptoms reactively when suffering from a cold or flu. Cold and flu sales are increasing in grocery channels (up +24%) so for convenience retailers, this offers the opportunity to drive incremental sales.
Beechams is currently the second best-selling brand in the multi-symptom category2. The Beechams range offers a comprehensive portfolio of products in a variety of strengths and formats that cater for today’s busy lifestyles.
The brand’s strength and heritage is in multi-symptom remedies with key products such as Beechams Flu Plus, Beechams All in One and Beechams Ultra All in One Capsules. Last season, the Beechams Ultra All in One range – the strongest product in the range – was the only multi-symptom variety to increase penetration during the 2011/2012 winter season.
Over the coming season, GSK plans to invest in the Beechams brand with a range of activities including a new TV advert, press campaigns and POS, all designed to disrupt consumers’ shopping experiences.
Keeping customers and sales healthy
In order to provide an additional profit opportunity for convenience stores, leading multi-vitamin provider Centrum has launched gender specific vitamin and mineral products.
Centrum Women is a bespoke combination of vitamins and minerals including Calcium, Iron and Folic Acid to help today’s busy women stay healthy. This couldn’t be more important with so much to juggle from looking after the kids to organising a night out with the girls. Its special formula features Biotin, Zinc and Selenium to support healthy, radiant hair and nails and supports blood formation. B vitamins and Iron support daily energy metabolism.
Centrum Men is packed with adjusted levels of vitamins and minerals to help men at the top of their game. From work pressures to those all-important sports matches, it can be a struggle for today’s men to get the right vitamins and minerals they need on a daily basis. Specific levels of B vitamins and Iron in Centrum Men help to support much needed daily energy metabolism and heart health. Vitamin D and Calcium contribute to normal muscle function and antioxidants like vitamin C and E protect against physical stress, helping men to stay healthy and take on whatever the days bring.
