Center Store

CHICAGO — Consumers looking for healthy meal solutions on the go have a new option: GoPicnic, a line of eight convenient, shelf-stable ready-to-eat meals. The brand partners with such top-quality manufacturers as Late July Organics and Old Wisconsin to develop meals that are all-natural and contain no preservatives. All menus have fewer than 500 calories; four of the options are gluten-free.


FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Jelly Belly is slated to offer a store promotion with photo sharing website Shutterfly in spring 2012.

Jelly Belly said that consumers who purchase two specially marked bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans or Jelly Bean Chocolate Dips will receive five free photo cards that can be redeemed online to create personalized cards using their own photos or designs. The on-pack consumer promotion launches Jan. 3, 2012 and runs through July.

Jelly Belly bean promotional packages will ship to stores Dec, 15 through March 31, 2012.

ST. LOUIS — A cat food brand has partnered with a company that develops music specifically for pets.

The market for sports nutrition looks good. All categories grouped by Drug Store News in this space — nutrition and energy bars, energy shots and ready-to-drink protein shakes — currently are trending up significantly. Taken together, sales of these three categories are up 15.8% to $2.2 billion for the year.


NEW YORK — Glad wants consumers to waste less by making its tall kitchen trash bags more green.

Glad said that its tall kitchen bags are stronger and use less plastic, and will carry the claims on its packaging. The brand's Glad tall kitchen bags and Glad OdorShield Fresh Scents tall kitchen drawstring bags utilize 6.5% less plastic, the company said. What's more, Glad also touts a 65% recycled kitchen bag, made from 65% recycled plastic, as well as compostable bags that are made with approximately 40% vegetable-based materials so they disintegrate at compost facilities.

Drug stores continue to offer more fresh grocery items. “Fresh fruit and vegetables are top grocery categories. There’s high demand for the products, and the size of the market is huge. So it makes sense that the drug channel is going after that business,” said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and VP of the NPD Group.

Greg Tradup, category manager of perishable, supplies and foodservice at McLane Co., said that drug stores are seeing a jump in sales of fresh fruits, juices and thaw-and-serve sandwiches.

WAYNE, Pa. — Emerson Group on Wednesday named Shane Brown to the group's Walmart team.

Brown comes to Emerson from Bayer HealthCare where he held a variety of roles in sales and category management for Bayer’s over-the-counter businesses working with the Walmart account. His primary responsibility was working as category captain to Walmart on the cough, cold and allergy category. Brown utilized his knowledge of the cough, cold and allergy category in working with Bayer internal brand teams to develop and launch new items, as well as setting brand strategies.

CHICAGO — A drink made popular by a famous golfer now is available as a malt beverage.

Hornell Brewing Co., the parent company of AriZona Beverages, said it has launched Arnold Palmer Hard, a half-tea and half-lemonade drink that contains 5% alcohol by volume. The noncarbonated beverage is made with AriZona brand iced tea and lemonade and is packaged in a 24-oz. can.