Avon Opens Salon & Spa On Fifth Avenue
The Avon Salon & Spa, a full service beauty destination has opened on Fifth Avenue in NYC. The one-stop location has a shop dedicated to Avon’s beComing product line.
Upon entering, the first floor is the flagship location for beComing, an individualized beauty collection for women addressing ever-changing lifestyle needs and aspirations. beComing is grouped into six lifestyle categories: beComing luminous, a line of skincare products; beComing radiant, a full collection of color cosmetics; beComing centered, a line of aromatherapeutic products; beComing mom, addressing the unique pre- and post-natal needs of women; beComing active, geared to the athlete in every woman; and beComing sensational, a fine fragrance collection for the beComing woman.
The Avon Salon contains expert stylists and colorists. The Avon Spa offers everything from facials to nutrition and yoga.
Office Depot ‘Store In Store’ Opens In Stop & Shop
Office Depot is introducing a “store within a store” in Stop & Shop stores across the Northeast, offering an assortment of more than 800 branded office supplies. The Office Depot “Store in Store” environment will feature office products including copier paper, ink jet cartridges, mailing supplies, writing instruments and school supplies.
“This alliance with Stop & Shop is an important strategic initiative for Office Depot,” said Bruce Nelson, CEO, Office Depot. “While we have a strong contract and e-commerce customer base in the Northeast, this alliance provides us with a tremendous opportunity to leverage our brand without significant four wall store investment.”
KB Toys And CVS Form Alliance
KB Toys and CVS/pharmacy have entered into an agreement naming KB Toys as the exclusive toy supplier for CVS’ 4,000 locations.
“The alliance will strengthen our general merchandise/toy category by enabling us to offer a more complete and up-to-date selection of toys,” said Chris Bodine, Exec. V.P,. Merchandising and Marketing for CVS. “This alliance will help us to make shopping at CVS easier for our customers by providing them with better access to popular toys.”
KB Toys will provide CVS with several merchandise programs including a year-round assortment of quality toys offered at attractive price points as well as spring and summer seasonal toys. KB Toys, which currently has alliances with Sears, Safeway and QVC, will work in concert with CVS’ merchandising teams to implement the program.
Sony & Pepsi Announce Joint Marketing Program
Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and Pepsi-Cola North America have unveiled plans for a multifaceted global marketing campaign. Beginning next summer in the U.S., radio advertising for Pepsi brands will feature “sneak previews” of songs from key SME artists, as well as a series of Pepsi-sponsored TV specials showcasing SME artists. The campaign will also include co-branded sales efforts at non-music retail outlets across the country, providing a dramatically expanded distribution platform for SME releases and unique cross-merchandising programs for Pepsi retailers.
“The three-part strategy of early awareness through radio exposure, exposure through television specials and superior point-of-purchase placement at non-music retail outlets will give our releases a significant advantage in the North American marketplace,” said Thomas Mottola, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment. “Our involvement with Sony music and their artists has been a real win for Pepsi brands over the years, and this next step is a natural extension,” said Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Beverages International.
Co-branded p.o.p. displays offering Pepsi products and SME CDs will be installed in high-traffic areas of non-music retail outlets, positioning music product as an impulse buy.
Best Buy Expands High Speed Internet Options Available In-Store
Best Buy has installed new in-store Activation Stations, providing customers with access to a wide selection of high-speed connectivity options. Best Buy now offers 15 high-speed Internet cable, DSL and satellite broadband options. The Activation Stations make selection, comparison and purchase of broadband services fast and simple through the straightforward GetConnected interface.
To use the Activation Stations, customers first enter the address where they would like to get broadband service. The system then pulls up participating providers in the area who offer service to that location. The customer compares the specific features, functions and prices as well as any special offers for the high speed Internet options and chooses a plan. The station then prompts the customer to select equipment such as a DSL modem, cable modem or satellite dish needed to activate the broadband service. Once the customer completes the order, it is automatically sent to the provider.
Blockbuster Introduces New Store Look
As part of its plan to aggressively grow sales in the high growth DVD and game categories, Blockbuster has introduced a new look in more than 4,400 stores nationwide. The stores will feature clearly defined boutique-style retail and rental sections, color-blocked in-store signage, expanded focus on DVDs and games, enhanced product selection and other new design features.
“Our mission is to be the complete source to our customers for movies and games, in the format of their choice, rental or retail, new or used,” said Nick Shepherd, Exec. V.P., Merchandising and Chief Concept Officer.
Hawk Electronics Launches New Concept
Hawk Electronics has updated several of its stores in the Dallas/Ft. Worth and San Antonio markets. The newly renovated stores, using a power aisle layout, are complemented by new store fixtures and p.o.p. materials, highlighting Hawk’s car audio, home theater and new consumer electronics selections from leading manufacturers. Displayed “in-the-round” on movable store fixtures, customers are immediately drawn to the hottest new products.
“The power aisle concept is especially well suited to the Hawk store environment,” said Bruce Quinnell, Hawk Merchandising Strategy Consultant.” Even if a customer is merely browsing, product from various related categories is displayed to capture their attention.” Hawk Electronics is a subsidiary of Progressive Concepts Communications, Inc., Fort Worth, TX.
Chrysler Rolls Out New Aftermarket Focus
Chrysler Group has announced its new product and aftermarket focus designed to make Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles “the coolest and most aspirational ones on the road.” “We’ve got a three-pronged approach,” said Jim Schroer, Chrysler Exec. V.P., Global Sales, Marketing and Service. “One way is cool, limited-edition vehicles we do ourselves, like the Dodge SRT vehicles. The second way is that there are some great customizing companies out there that do the image vehicles for us at the shows. And the third way is supporting performance enthusiasts with Mopar parts.”
Mopar is moving back into the center of the performance parts spotlight with the introduction of Mopar Speedshops, a concept for in-dealership accessorization and customization stores. Mopar Speedshops will be a part of dealerships as a store-within-a-store concept.
Marathon Stores Testing Folgers Cafés
Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC and the Procter & Gamble Co. have entered into an agreement to pilot the Folgers Café program in Marathon-branded convenience stores in the Midwest and Southeast.
Marathon-branded stores will carry the exclusive “Folgers Café” logo as the primary branding on the exterior of the building, complemented by distinctive mountain-sunrise interior graphics reflecting the Folgers logo and “Wakin’ Up” theme. The stores will have hot beverages and foodservice inside.
Chris Hood, P&G Marketing Director, Commercial Business, said “P&G's strategy has been to provide Folgers to more of our consumers when they are away from home. This relationship is a win for each partner-P&G’s brands and technologies can improve Marathon Brand offerings, while our consumers will have increased availability of Folgers.”
GNC Unveils Re-Designed Stores
General Nutrition Centers (GNC) recently unveiled a $20 million redesign for its 4,200 stores in the U.S., marking the first time the entire chain has been redesigned simultaneously. The new stores feature distinctly marked organization of different product categories, making it easier for consumers to find items. In addition, stores have an information kiosk and brochure stand that offers detailed information about common health issues.
“We view each GNC store as a resource for health, nutrition and supplement information geared to the everyday consumer,” said Mike Meyers, President and CEO. “With our brochures and kiosks, consumers now have a consistent, high quality and easy to understand point of reference available to them.”
McDonald’s With The Diner Inside Debuts
“McDonald’s With The Diner Inside” has opened as a unique dining experience in Evansville, Indiana. “We designed the ‘McDonald’s with the Diner Inside’ to offer two great restaurant experiences in one great place,” said Tom Ryan, Exec. V.P., McDonald’s USA. “McDonald’s with the Diner Inside was designed for family restaurant meal occasions, offering the highest quality food at a great value.”
This new concept enables McDonald’s to satisfy more people who enjoy the experience of table service while still pleasing those that enjoy the traditional McDonald’s experience.
This test concept provides an unusual food variety with more than 120 different classic diner-style menu items including made-to-order eggs, hearty breakfast platters and bakery items for breakfast; sandwiches and meal-sized salads for lunch; and meatloaf, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and Triple Thick Milkshakes for dinner.
7-Eleven Features New ‘Cooler Fun Zone’
7-Eleven has introduced the ‘Cooler Fun Zone,’ a special beverage section targeted to tweens and teens. The new section in the cooler is at kids’ eye-level and features about a dozen different beverages with names like Tummy-Tickler, Baby Buddies, Cool Topz and Fun Water. For example, Elmo from Sesame Street tops a 9.5-ounce Fun Water; Clifford the Big Red Dog and friends are on Tummy Ticklers fruit juices; SpongeBob Squarepants and Jimmy Neutron are on Cool Topz drinks and The Simpsons are on Belly-Washers.
Debbie Wildrick, 7-Eleven Category Manager, said, “We’re targeting various ages with different characters and bottle sizes. It’s a virtual cartoon show in the cooler door.”
Whirlpool & KitchenAid Featured At New ‘Insperience Studio’
Whirlpool and KitchenAid have launched the Insperience Studio, offering hands-on interaction with working appliances and ideas for enriching the home experience. Insperience Studio, a new 12,000 sq. ft. flagship facility in Atlanta, will serve as a destination for consumers to meet with their builders, designers, and architects to decide what appliances best suit their needs.
A selection consultant will guide guests through working displays of refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, ranges, and laundry products. Insperience Studio will offer cooking classes, Fabric Care events and product training. It will allow consumers to test drive appliances in a no-pressure environment. Appliances will not be for sale on-site; consumers will be directed to a Whirlpool dealer.
“We are constantly searching for new vehicles to bring us closer to our customers and Insperience Studio will do that,” said David Swift, Exec.V.P., Whirlpool N.A.
Home Depot Launches ‘E-Plus’ Campaign
Home Depot is featuring hundreds of items in special in-store displays bearing a bright green “E-plus” logo with information on energy savings. Since creating the energy conservation category last year, Home Depot has experienced a steady increase in sales of energy-efficient lighting, appliances, insulation products, programmable thermostats, exterior doors, windows and window treatments.
“People are looking for simple, high return investments in their homes, and energy conservation tops the list,” said Richard Dale, Home Depot Global Product Merchant.
Back to Top
To See previous issues of Marketing Trends click here
To See Previous Issues of Online Weekly in Creative's Archives, click here.
To See other Creative Online Newsletters click here
