General Merchandise

WASHINGTON — The air is getting colder and retailers are already gearing up for the Christmas season, but before they do that, they will have to get through Halloween.

According to a recent NRF consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, Halloween will be a big deal this year, with seven in 10 Americans saying they plan on celebrating the holiday. Consumers are expecting to spend more too; the average person will spend $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $72.31 last year, with total Halloween spending expected to reach $8 billion.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Cesar has launched its Meaty Selects line.

HAMPSHIRE, Ill. — A remedy for odors that lurk in trash cans has entered the market.

Trash Dash, a new item marketed under the BestAir brand, is a sodium bicarbonate-based product that is designed to enhance indoor air quality and add a fresh scent to trash or recycling containers by absorbing odors.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Private-label sales continue to advance in the nonfood pet supplies market, according to a new Packaged Facts report.

"Pet Supplies and Pet Care Products in the U.S.," which tracked mass market sales of nonfood pet supplies, found that sales increased by just 1% during the 52 weeks ended in May, while private-label sales of such products experienced a 15% jump. This strong performance lifted the private-label share of pet supplies by two percentage points to 23%. The private-label share peaks with dog chews, holding at 42% of dollar sales.

CINCINNATI — Bounty has partnered with Fuji Senkei's new Web reality cooking contest.

From the creators of "Iron Chef," the "SuperChef Kids" Web series launched a massive search cross-country to find the talented kid chefs (ages 8 to 12 years) and challenged them to flex their culinary muscle for a chance to win the grand prize of $5,000. Teaming up with celebrity chef and co-host of ABC's "The Chew," Carla Hall, Bounty said it plays an integral role in all 15 webisodes, cleaning up the messes these amateur chefs leave behind.

SUPPLIER NEWS — Lysol has introduced its latest line of household products that highlights the versatility of hydrogen peroxide. The Lysol Power and Free line is comprised of a multipurpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet and bathroom wipes. The Power and Free line may be used on a variety of surfaces with no rinsing needed. The lineup carries a suggested retail price range of $2.52 to $3.86 and is available in Citrus Sparkle, Cool Spring Breeze and Oxygen Splash scents.


Housewares have moved beyond the Christmas selling season at drug stores. The products are becoming a year-round category for the channel as drug chains find ways to tie in kitchen items, tabletop accessories and appliances to key selling seasons.

ATLANTA — Case-Mate has released a portfolio of cases for the new Apple iPhone 5.