Center Store

ST. LOUIS — Six percent more men are doing the primary grocery shopping for their families versus five years ago, according to results of a new survey by Schnucks.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Mars is extending its popular Dove brand with its new chocolate-covered raisins and peanuts mix. Dove’s new spin on the classic combination of taste and textures will hit retail shelves in April and is packaged in a standup pouch designed to enhance shelf presence.


The “hand-to-mouth” candy segment increasingly is popular with consumers. With $1.6 billion in sales annually, according to Mars, unwrapped bite-sized candy is emerging as a growth segment for manufacturers and retailers.


AVENEL, N.J. — Mizco International has introduced iEssentials’ RoboBuds T earbud headphones for children, featuring a built-in volume control to protect children’s hearing. The new line of earbuds includes five colorful “robot’’ character designs — Phantom, Streke, Electrika, PowerBot and CrimsonRobo. The earbuds are designed with a volume limiting output of 85 decibels. The line was created to provide kids of all ages with a high-performance audio accessory that is safe to use and fun to collect. The earbuds retail for $9.99.

FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Jelly Belly has introduced a new line of jelly beans inspired by Snapple beverages.

Jelly Belly Snapple Mix are made with natural ingredients, including real fruit juice, Snapple juice drink concentrates and fruit purees, and do not contain artificial coloring, Jelly Belly said. The product will be packaged in a 1.65-oz. bottle package that is modeled after the real Snapple Juice Drink bottles. In addition to the new 1.65-oz. Jelly Belly Snapple Bottle, Jelly Belly Snapple Mix also is available in a 3.1-oz. bag, a 6.5-oz. bag and 4.5-oz. box.

After strong growth, the cereal/granola bar category is showing slower growth. A report on “Food Bars in the U.S.” by Packaged Facts estimated U.S. sales of 
cereal/granola bars at $3.1 billion in 2011, with flat sales for the overall category, despite some growth in premium granola bars. Experian Simmons data showed that 40% of adults use cereal/granola bar products overall, said David Sprinkle, research director at Packaged Facts.

Experts said that despite competition from electronic cards and rising postal fees, there still is a future for the paper greeting card category. Sean O’Malley, an analyst for Wedge Capital, estimated the industry saw 1% unit volume growth last year. He estimated 2011 greeting card sales were $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Nearly 80% of category sales are driven by women ages 30 to 50 years whose “habits die hard,” according to O’Malley. Premium cards and value cards are performing best.

SUPPLIER NEWS — Jelly Belly 
is expanding its Chocolate Dips line to include a new sweet flavor. The company said its strawberry flavor will be available in a 2.8-oz. bag. The family of Jelly Bean Chocolate Dips also includes coconut, mint, orange, raspberry and Very Cherry flavors.


SUPPLIER NEWS — Glade has introduced its Expressions collection, which features two new designs: the fragrance mist, a refillable home fragrance spray; and an oil diffuser, a nonelectric diffuser that can disperse fragrances for up to 30 days. The four available fragrances include cotton and Italian mandarin; pineapple and mangosteen; fuji apple and cardamom spice; and lavendar and juniper berry. Glade Expressions fragrance mist is available for $4.49; refills are available for $3.49 each.