The objectives for this display were to promote Hershey's new sour gum flavor, differentiate it in this highly competitive category, and use more environmentally sustainable packaging. Wal-Mart PDQ specs call for a display footprint 30" by l4". The angled front, back and sides helped eliminate unnecessary packaging in support of Wal-Mart's Environmental Sustainability program. The bright six-color graphics make this unit stand out on shelves. The angles give the display a sleek look and help make the products "pop" out of the display. The Ice Breakers Berry Sour Gum Corrugated Display was created by Menasha Display Group, 601 E Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134. (Web site) www.menashadisplay.com
Fromm Premium Shear Locking Counter Display
Fromm, a leading manufacturer of quality shears for salon stylists, needed a small counter display for supply stores to showcase a new line of premium shears. Because of the high price-point for this product, the display had to be secure but Fromm did not want the appearance of a locking cabinet. They wanted the look of a high-end promotional cosmetic display. The display features a rotating counter unit with two acrylic ellipses that secure the product by trapping it top and bottom when the top ellipse is locked in the down position. The unit has been well received and has secured the preferred placement desired. The Fromm Premium Shear Locking Counter Display was created by Visual Marketing, Inc., 154 W. Erie St., Chicago, IL 60610. (Web site) www.vmichicago.com
Mattress Works To Establish Store-Within-A-Store In Wal-Mart Super Centers
Mattress Works, an independent bedding company, has signed a lease agreement with Wal-Mart to establish bedding shops in the vestibule space of Wal-Mart Super Centers. The first three independently operated sleep shops have opened in South Carolina-based Wal-Mart Super Centers in North Myrtle Beach, North Charleston and Travelers Rest.
"Each Mattress Works location will be located in a Wal-Mart Super Center, and each will be managed by a local Operating Partner - an established bedding retailer who knows the local market, is seasoned in the bedding business and operates the store as an independent retailer," said David Karr, CEO of Mattress Works. "Mattress Works sleep shops offer a 'full service mattress shopping experience' with knowledgeable sleep consultants available to assist the customer through the purchasing process."
Mattress Works locations occupy 450-1150 square-foot footprints at the front of Wal-Mart Super Center stores. Product assortments within each store include price points between $299 and $1,299, including two memory foam mattress options. "Our goal is to provide Wal-Mart shoppers with the 'value experience' that they have come to expect," Karr emphasized.
Planet Smoothie Partners With South Beach To Develop Line Of Energy Smoothies
Planet Smoothie, one of the country's most sought after smoothie concepts, has partnered with South Beach Beverage Company, Inc. a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., to develop a line of energy smoothies infused with SoBe Adrenaline Rush®, a high performance energy supplement. The smoothies are designed for active, on-the-go consumers, which Planet Smoothie and SoBe have in common.
Every Planet Smoothie location will offer three SoBe Adrenaline Rush-infused smoothies including Tropical Twister (pineapples, orange juice and a hint of cherry); Manic Mango (mangos, blueberries and non-fat yogurt); and Orange Fever (peaches, orange juice, orange sherbet and non-fat milk). SoBe Adrenaline Rush has a bold citrus taste enhanced with a unique blend of energizing elements.
"SoBe and Planet Smoothie are a natural partnership, as both brands address the active lifestyles of consumers," says Chris McCracken, vice president and brand leader of Planet Smoothie. "Our smoothie menu allows consumers to target specific needs - such as low sugar or high protein - and this line of energy smoothies combines our real-fruit beverages with a shot of energy, with no compromises on taste which our research tells us is paramount among consumers."
LoveSac Store-Within-A-Store Opens In Manhattan
LoveSac, Alternative Furniture Co., recently celebrated its grand opening of the first LoveSac store-within-a-store location in New York City. LoveSac has a strange underground following, and is focused on delivering the ultimate in practical and unique media room and TV room furniture.
LoveSac revealed its cult following to the city, with its "Almost Free Love Fest" promotion at the 14th street location of Straight from the Crate-currently the exclusive dealer for LoveSac in New York City. 300 lucky LoveSac loyalists and first timers stood in line to claim their 51% off to 99% off discount by drawing from a bag of 300 chips with every discount between 51% off and 99% off inside.
LoveSac is not just another furniture retailer. Each core LoveSac product is a legitimate furniture invention, with patents to prove it. The "Sacs" that made LoveSac famous are massively oversized bean bags filled with chopped Durafoam instead of styrene beads, and comes with a two-lifetime guarantee never to go flat, or break. The Durafoam is recycled from new sofa foam tailings, and is far more comfortable and resilient than bean bag beans-more like a gigantic pillow, than a stiff bean bag. LoveSac's latest invention, the Sactionals, is a cross between upholstery and Legos. With lifetime guaranteed wood frames upholstered in foam and fabric, Sactionals consist of 2 simple pieces, "Bases" and "Sides," that can be combined in any quantity in any configuration imaginable to build any furniture desired-no tools necessary. Chairs, sofas, chaises, ottomans and limitless sectionals are possible using only these two pieces. Sactionals pieces' patented dimensional relationship allow for this uncanny and limitless modularity, where, even in strange configurations, like the "Twister," the "Play Pen," or the "Guest Rest," all of the pieces line up perfectly, and snap together with ease using the simple, patented hardware included-much like Legos.
Kraft Unveils Alliances With Starbucks & Bosch for Tassimo
Kraft Foods has launched several new initiatives to further fuel the growth trajectory of its proprietary Tassimo hot beverage system. The first is a new alliance with Starbucks Coffee Company to add select varieties of its popular Starbucks® coffee to the Tassimo beverage lineup in the U.S. and Canada. Kraft also announced a new global brewer alliance with Bosch Household Appliances and more rapid geographic expansion of popular beverages.
Tassimo is Kraft's on-demand beverage system that freshly brews a wide variety of hot beverages, including coffees, cappuccinos/lattes, teas and hot chocolate, at the touch of a button. Said Hubert Weber, Vice President and General Manager, Tassimo, "We're appealing to consumers seeking true coffeehouse quality in the comfort of their own home. Our alliance with Starbucks - the brand that's synonymous with coffeehouse quality - gives coffee lovers even more reasons to turn to Tassimo."
Starting in December, select Starbucks varieties will be available in a single-cup Tassimo DISC (T DISC) capsule format. Tassimo brewer owners in the U.S. and Canada will be able to enjoy these four Starbucks® coffees at home: House Blend, Breakfast Blend, Caffè Verona® and Africa Kitamu™. Other products already available in T DISC form include Seattle's Best Coffee® and Tazo® tea.
"We are always looking for ways to provide an authentic Starbucks coffee experience to our customers, and to do so anywhere and anytime they prefer," said Gerry López, president of Starbucks Global Consumer Products Group. "Starbucks Research and Development department worked closely with the Kraft Tassimo team to develop a T DISC that delivers a high-quality brewed cup of Starbucks® coffee. The result will delight our customers, as they will be able to continue to enjoy their Starbucks® coffee while using the highly convenient Tassimo brewing system. It's another step as we extend the Starbucks experience beyond our stores."
Kraft is also forming a new global brewer alliance with Bosch Household Appliances. In mid-2008, Bosch Household Appliances will launch a new Tassimo brewer carrying the well-known Bosch name.
Apple Launches iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store At Starbucks
Apple and Starbucks have formed an exclusive partnership that lets customers wirelessly browse, search for, preview, buy and download music from the iTunes(R) Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks onto their iPod(R) touch, iPhone(TM) or PC or Mac(R) running iTunes while at a participating location.
When a customer enters a participating location, their device will automatically recognize the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store using a high-speed Wi-Fi wireless network with no connection fee or hotspot login. Customers will be able to browse, search and freely preview millions of songs, including a new "Now Playing" service which displays the name of the song playing in the Starbucks store at that moment, then easily buy and download songs or albums directly to their device. Prices and selection on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store are the same as on the regular iTunes Store. The service will make its debut at more than 600 Starbucks company-operated locations in New York and Seattle on October 2.
"Getting free access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and the 'Now Playing' service at Starbucks is a great way for customers to discover new music," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Imagine walking into a participating Starbucks, hearing a great song, and being able to instantly download it onto your iPod or iPhone. We think this is very cool."
"With this partnership, we're bringing Apple's leadership in digital music together with not only our retail footprint, but the unique Starbucks experience, to offer customers a world-class digital music experience," said Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company. "Introducing this new service is a natural extension of our music strategy which only enhances the retail coffee experience for customers by helping them discover and acquire new music instantly."
New CulinaryPrep Appliance Removes Impurities From Food
A kitchen counter top appliance that removes dangerous impurities from food, including E.coli, listeria, and salmonella, was made available to consumers today by Creative Culinary Marketing Solutions. The kitchen unit, called CulinaryPrep, is the only appliance available today that applies a patented process to remove dangerous impurities from food, giving families direct control over the safety of the food they eat. CulinaryPrep™ uses the patented Grovac™ Process to remove unwanted bacteria and food borne pathogens from meat, fish, and produce.
Jeff Schroeder, Chief Executive at CCMS, said, "Our appliance removes the need for families to put their trust in an unseen food chain that has documented vulnerabilities. We hope that CulinaryPrep™ becomes a standard feature in American homes and dramatically reduces the number of illnesses from food borne bacteria."
New Drop & Clean Household Cleaning Pouches Debut
Household cleaning leader AlEn USA has introduced its innovative Drop & Clean 'zero waste' product, which packs all the power and well-known scent of Festival and Pinalen in a concentrated, pre-measured, water-soluble pouch - taking convenient household cleaning to a whole new level. With less packaging than a traditional bottle of household cleaner, Drop & Clean is also good for the environment. Drop & Clean, the only product of its kind in the household cleaning sector, hit shelves at approximately 1,200 Wal-Mart's throughout the U.S. This product proactively contributes to Wal-Mart's goal of cutting packaging on products in its stores 5% by 2013.
"Consumers can just drop the environmentally friendly pouch into water and watch it dissolve before their eyes," said Pedro Somarriba, Senior Vice-President of Sales. "Small package dimensions and light weight make this the perfect product for the environmentally-conscious consumer, elderly consumers, those with limited cabinet space and arthritics who have difficulty with the traditional bottle top."
Green Giant Vegetable Blends Deliver Targeted Health Benefits
Green Giant has introduced three frozen vegetable blends delivering targeted health benefits. Healthy Weight features sliced carrots, sugar snap peas, black beans and edamame. Immunity Boost features broccoli florets, julienne carrots and red and yellow sweet pepper strips, and Healthy Vision features sliced carrots, zucchini quarters and sliced green beans. Mike Martin, Green Giant Marketing Manager, said, “These products can help boomers meet their specific health needs.”
iRobot Unveils Roomba 500 Series Vacuum Cleaning Robots
iRobot Corp. introduced its smartest, most powerful and efficient vacuuming robots yet, the new iRobot® Roomba® 500 series Vacuum Cleaning Robots. Based on customer feedback from more than 2 million buyers since Roomba's introduction nearly five years ago, iRobot has reinvented its flagship home robot to deliver 100 percent improved vacuum performance for a cleaner home, every day. With the Roomba 500 series, iRobot further raised the IQ of home care. The new robots can free themselves from almost any household jam, minimizing the need to prep rooms before Roomba begins cleaning. Using wireless technology, the robots now know when they have finished cleaning one room and then move on to the next. Versions of the new iRobot Roomba 500 series are available immediately in the U.S. and range in price from $249 to $399.
ToyQuest Introduces RipRoar Creation Station
ToyQuest introduces RipRoar Creation Station at mass retailers nationwide this fall. The RipRoar Creation Station, a complete hardware and software system, allows tweens and teens to showcase their own identity by creating, editing and uploading their own personal videos. The RipRoar Creation Station includes a full resolution camera with a mountable green screen, tripod, integrated software and a bonus content CD. Kids simply record themselves or their friends in front of the green screen and effortlessly produce their own short movie by replacing the green with any background, cutting and pasting video and images, and adding animation and/or music. Once completed, users (with their parents' assistance) can share their creation with family and friends by using the special one-click feature to upload to YouTube or any on-line video sharing site.
"Our goal is to give kids all the tools they need to create, edit and share their own exciting videos," said Avi Rosenstein, Product Manager, Youth Electronics. "The RipRoar Creation Station gives tweens and teens the opportunity to expand their creativity and express themselves like never before."
New Quaker Sweet & Salty Crunch Granola Bars Provide Sensory Satisfaction
The combination of sweet and salty is one of the most often craved pairings and Quaker is delivering a nutritious twist on this American favorite with the introduction of new Quaker Sweet & Salty Crunch granola bars.
"People have been making their own combinations of sweet and salty favorites for years. Now Quaker is bringing a new twist to an age-old favorite with the introduction of new Quaker Sweet & Salty Crunch granola bars," said Heather Vergara, director of marketing for Quaker Snack Bars. "Baked to a light and crispy crunch, our granola bars offer an added texture to the sweet and salty combination for a great taste experience."
Yerba Mate: Not Just In Healthy Tea Now In Save Your Hair Products
Save Your Hair all-natural shampoos and conditioners are infused with pure organic yerba mate and pure organic aloe vera. These new premium-quality products from Save Your World(TM)are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and are handcrafted, paraben-free and pH-balanced. Yerba mate has a rich history of medicinal, herbal remedy use, and it is widely used in crushed-leaf form as a stimulant drink or tonic (prepared like tea) and as a substitute for coffee in South America. Save Your World(TM) goes to great lengths to ensure that its natural products are made in an environmentally-sensitive.
Thinkproducts Debuts Think Nutrition Bars
Thinkproducts has differentiated itself from the many other nutrition bar companies on the market with the introduction of think5 Red Berries and thinkpink nutrition bars that stress the philosophy of making good choices with "real food." ThinkPink is a special edition bar to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Mother's Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Think nutrition bars are in the country's major grocery, drug and mass retailers.
Yoplait Yogurt Introduces Yo-Plus For Regulating Digestive Health
General Mills' Yoplait brand is introducing Yo-Plus(TM), the newest way to help naturally regulate digestive health, providing yogurt lovers with the benefits of probiotic cultures, fiber, and great taste. Yo-Plus contains Optibalance(TM), a unique blend of probiotic cultures and a natural fiber. The combination of these cultures and fiber may help consumers regulate their digestive system when eaten daily. Yo-Plus yogurt flavors include: Strawberry, Vanilla, Cherry and Peach.
New Purex Natural Elements Liquid Laundry Detergents Introduced
Purex(R) is launching a new line of natural liquid laundry detergents, Purex Natural Elements, for consumers who are conscious not only of the products they eat and drink, but also of the cleaning products they use in their homes. Responding also to sustainability initiatives, Purex Natural Elements provides uncompromising cleaning performance with 100-percent naturally derived cleaning ingredients in a line of naturally scented laundry products. Purex Natural Elements features a biodegradable, non-toxic detergent formula housed in recyclable packaging.
SanDisk® Corporation introduces colorful Sansa® Clip for MP3 player
SanDisk® Corporation, the second largest seller of MP3 players in the United States, today introduced the colorful Sansa® Clip, a tiny MP3 player that boasts an array of cool features, as well as distinctively big sound for its small size. Perfect for the fitness buff or traveler, the compact Sansa Clip comes with a fashionable clip for wearing, FM radio with recorder(a), microphone(a), long-lasting rechargeable battery and a bright screen for exceptionally easy navigation of tunes. The Sansa Clip is expected to be available this fall at manufacturer's suggested retail prices of $39.99 for a 1 gigabyte (GB)(b) player and $59.99 for the 2GB unit.
"Don't let the Sansa Clip's size fool you," said Keith Washo, SanDisk retail product marketing manager for the Sansa Clip. "This tiny player packs a powerful, feature-rich punch. We're excited to bring music lovers a new, cool-looking player with great sound and audio offerings in a body that's smaller than a match box."
Organic Green Path Wine In Tetra-Pak Now Available At Whole Foods Market
The Country Vintner, an Australian-based wine exporter, announced the first wine produced with organic grapes in a Tetra Pak carton package is available nationwide exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores. The wine, sold under the name Green Path, is made by Organic One Wines, a 100 percent organic vineyard and winery. These wines aren't available in glass bottles; they are packaged in a Tetra Pak carton, which is a paper-based carton that is more environmentally friendly. Green Path wine in the one liter Tetra Pak package is ideal for consumers who want to enjoy a quality wine in a portable, recloseable, safe and easy-to-use package.
"Whole Foods Market is excited to be one of the first to bring in a new age of eco-friendly packaging for wine in the United States," said Geof Ryan, global wine co-buyer for Whole Foods Market. "The Green Path organic wines are tasty and fruit-driven and show great quality and value for our shoppers."
Domino's Introduces New OREO Dessert Pizza
Domino's Pizza delivers two great brands in one pie with the introduction of Domino's new OREO(R) Dessert Pizza. The first nationally available dessert pizza in Domino's nearly 47- year history, OREO(R) Dessert Pizza starts with a new dessert-style thin crust that's layered with vanilla sauce and covered with OREO(R) cookie crumbles. When it's fresh out of the oven, a sweet icing is drizzled on top.
"We are thrilled to partner with a great brand like OREO-one that our customers loved as kids and still love today," said Ken Calwell, chief marketing officer, Domino's Pizza. "This is a great opportunity to combine
the power of Domino's Pizza and one of America's favorite cookies to deliver a unique, fun and delicious new dessert for our customers!"
Navigon 2100 GPS Navigator Unveiled
Navigon, a leading provider of navigation products and solutions, unveiled the Navigon 2100, a slim, easy-to-use and affordable personal navigation device for the North American market.
"With the Navigon 2100, it was our aim to hit a price point that was
within reach of all consumers without sacrificing Navigon-quality form and
function," said Andreas Hecht, Navigon's general manager for the Americas.
"The NAVIGON 2100 has the same DNA that has won us awards with other
products in our portfolio. It is a result of the same intelligent design
and intuitive innovation -- and it offers features that aren't available in
systems at twice the price."
The NAVIGON 2100 offers stunning 2D and 3D map views, a brilliant,
anti-glare 3.5" touchscreen, simple-to-maneuver menus and spoken
turn-by-turn directions and street names via advanced text to speech -- one
of the only devices in its price tier to do so. Predictive text and
city-first or street-first data entry, as well as millions of pre-loaded
points of interest, help make destination entry easy.
American Greetings Retail Stores First To Bring 'Gift Card Mall' To Mall Channel
American Greetings' U.S. card and gift shops will soon sell gift cards for other retailers, making them the first mall-based stores to offer what is known as a "gift card mall." The stores, which operate under both the American Greetings and Carlton Cards names, will unveil new displays that feature gift cards for 16 different food, entertainment and lifestyle retailers, including Applebee's, Circuit City, Blockbuster and Lowe's. The program is the result of the Company's partnership with InComm, the nation's largest marketer, distributor and technology provider for gift cards and prepaid products.
The concept is similar to kiosks found in other channels, but the gift card malls at American Greetings and Carlton Cards stores will expand upon the idea by offering much more than just gift cards, equipped with everything consumers need to present these popular plastic gifts with style and a personal message, including specially designed cards, bags, tissue and unique gifting solutions. An expanded collection of innovative packaging options will debut in the displays for Christmas as well, and there will even be special collections of cards, bags and tissue designed by American Greetings to coordinate with gift cards from American Express, iTunes, Starbucks and Vanilla Visa.
"Gift cards are a convenient, year-round present for millions of people, and our new displays are truly the ultimate gift card-giving solution, combining an easy shopping experience with style and innovation," said Nelson Tejada, vice president of merchandising for American Greetings retail division. "We know that 50 to 60 percent of consumers like to give gift cards in greeting cards or with a small gift as these 'extras' add special meaning, so our new gift card malls make it easy to find the gift card they want along with everything else they need for the perfect, personal presentation."
Apple Introduces New iPod Classic
Apple® is introducing the iPod® classic, featuring 80GB or 160GB of storage that holds your entire collection of music, photos, video, podcasts and games-up to 40,000 songs or 200 hours of video. Now in its sixth generation, the new iPod classic delivers all the features customers love about their iPods, plus an enhanced user interface featuring Cover Flow™ and a new all-metal enclosure. iPod classic is priced at $249 for the 80GB model and $349 for the 160GB model.
Bang & Olufsen Offers Beo5 Remote Control
Bang & Olufsen, the Danish manufacturer of high end home theaters and custom multi-room video and music systems, is offering the Beo5 remote
control. The future of audio, video, and automation integration starts
here with a fully flexible and personalized remote control with a
universal language that can operate any product combination, even products
with features and functions that are not known yet. Beo5 can also operate
select non-Bang & Olufsen products and represents a continuation of Bang &
Olufsen's commitment to one-touch operation, simplicity, and user
friendliness.
Coca-Cola and Caribou Coffee announced a national launch of a new line of premium ready-to-drink iced coffees. "The new beverage will expand the reach of the Caribou Coffee tradition and bring the simple, everyday values of the Caribou coffeehouse experience to a broader national audience," said Michael Coles, Caribou Coffee Chairman and CEO. "Our partnership with Coca-Cola North America will extend our great premium coffee taste experience into the ready-to-drink category and allow us to take advantage of the world-class Coca-Cola distribution system."
Caribou Iced Coffee will be available in three flavors: Regular, Espresso, and Vanilla, and will be packaged in a unique 12 oz. reclosable Alumi-Tek™ aluminum bottle from Ball Corporation. The Caribou Iced Coffee launch will be supported with sampling, in-store merchandising and print and radio marketing.
General Imaging Promotes Buhay To V.P. Sales & Mktg., Americas
General Imaging, the worldwide exclusive licensee for GE-branded digital cameras, has promoted Rene Buhay to senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas. He had been serving as vice president of sales for North America.
"Rene has done a wonderful job for us in our first year of existence, and it gives me great pleasure to reward his vast skills and accomplishments with this promotion," said Hiroshi "Hugh" Komiya, chairman and CEO of General Imaging. "He has helped take this company from a total unknown to a major force in the marketplace in a very short time. He is the channel architect who made this all happen."
nParallel Appoints Morgan Creative Director
nParallel, the international brand communication, merchandising strategy and display agency, has named Michael Morgan as its new creative director. Morgan comes to nParallel from Lipson Alport Glass & Associates, Chicago, IL, where he was a senior brand consultant. His previous experience includes ten years with Best Buy, where he held senior level positions in graphic design and visual merchandising. During his tenure at Best Buy, Morgan supported the introduction and implementation of three generations of store designs.
NetKey Acquires Webpavement
Netkey, a recognized leading provider of software for self-service kiosks, has acquired Webpavement, one of the largest providers of software used for the operation and management of networks of digital signs. Webpavement, based in Alpharetta, GA, was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in the development of software products designed specifically for the operation of digital signage - video screens that display multimedia content and messages that are connected using private networks or the Internet. This acquisition places Netkey in a leadership position as the only company able to offer businesses a comprehensive suite of best-in-class software products and services designed to increase sales, improve the customer experience, and inform workers through kiosks and digital signage, while at the same time reducing the time and resources required by IT to deploy, operate and manage these networks.
"There is tremendous opportunity in the convergence of interactive kiosk technology and digital signage, and Netkey is now uniquely positioned to offer to Fortune 1000 companies software and services that are optimized to address the specialized business and technology requirements of these fast-growing channels," said V. Miller Newton, CEO of Netkey.
Novint Launches Falcon Swoop Tour
Novint Technologies, a pioneer of 3D touch for consumer computing, is launching a 12-week promotional tour that will bring the Novint Falcon game controller to over 30 cities. The Falcon Swoop Tour is a traveling experiential event designed to inform, educate, and evangelize Novint's revolutionary 3D touch controller and games to consumers. The Tour will visit college campuses, gaming, music and other special events, as well as select retailers.
"We're taking the Falcon on the road to give people hands-on experiences with our products," said Antonia Chappell, Novint's Vice President of Marketing. "When people try the Falcon for the first time they are typically blown away. The Swoop Tour is a powerful way for us to connect with our audience, and introduce them to an entirely new way to experience PC gaming."
The Tour will travel with two customized Scions and two gaming tents with Falcon demos and contests featuring Novint's touch-enabled games, including Newton's Monkey Business, Feelin' It: Sports Pack and the Half-Life 2 mod, Haptics-Life 2. Novint has retained Mr. Youth, a premier youth and marketing event agency, to manage the Tour.
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