Center Store

PHOENIX — GMDC announced several conference date changes effective 2013 during its Health Beauty Wellness Marketing Conference held here this past weekend.

The HBW event will move to spring, and the GM Conference will take place in the fall.

Future conference dates are as follows:

• 2013 HBW Marketing Conference May 31 to June 3 in San Antonio;

• 2013 GM Marketing Conference Sept. 6 to 10 in Phoenix;

• 2014 HBW Marketing Conference May 30 to June 2 in Orlando, Fla.;

PHOENIX — GMDC members elected two new board members to serve in two-year terms on their board of directors, the association announced Tuesday — Mike Petocchi, business group manager HBC/cosmetics with Wegmans Food Markets and former GMDC chairman Jim Wonderly, VP grocery non-foods/GM Ahold USA.

Additionally, Curtis Maki, VP HBC/GM program management and pharmacy with Topco Associates, was re-elected to serve another two-year term. Maki also will serve as the co-chairman of the Membership Advisory Board.

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass. — Yankee Candle has introduced its latest candle form.

The Perfect Pillar features an easy-to-remove peel-off label, adding to the overall clean, contemporary look of this decorative candle form, Yankee Candle said.

NEW YORK — A new line of snacks is hitting the East Coast market this month.

Five Point Snacks celebrates the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and touts military-themed graphics on its packaging, the company said. The lineup includes Major Murphy's kettle cooked potato chips, Sailor Knots mini pretzel knots, Flotilla Tortillas whole grain white corn tortilla chips, G.I. Crunches strong cheddar cheese twists and Airmen Popcorn classic American white popcorn.

Americans spend three to four hours a day in the kitchen, so housewares — particularly kitchenware — can be a key gift category for drug stores. The channel had a 4.2% share of the housewares business, according to the International Housewares Association’s “2010 State of the Industry Report.” Much of the channel’s sales come from cookware, bakeware and kitchen tools.

UWANEE, Ga. — The Brainy Brands Co. has introduced a new line of wooden toys for its Brainy Baby line.

Brainy Baby FlashCars will consist of wooden toys in the form of vehicles, including a school bus, fire truck, airplane and recycle truck, accompanied by flashcards that will cover a specific subject, such as letters, numbers, shapes and colors, and animals. FlashCars are set to hit the market in fourth quarter 2011, Brainy Brands said.

Brainy Brands said it expects to introduce other series of wooden toys in the future.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The new Walmart Express concept is a further downsizing of Walmart’s supercenter and Neighborhood Market format, 
recently rebranded as Walmart Mart. The 15,000-sq.-ft. stores are no-frills affairs with bare concrete floors and open-rafter ceilings. From a shoppers’ perspective, the store experience is consistent with the look and feel of a supercenter — only smaller. 


PRINCETON, N.J. — Church & Dwight has added a Sensitive Skin Plus scent detergent to its line of Arm & Hammer sensitive skin laundry detergents. The new detergent, which features a skin-friendly fresh scent that’s hypoallergenic and clinically tested to be good to sensitive skin, is a scented alternative to Arm & Hammer’s Perfume and Dye Free laundry detergent.