Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
Retailers saw mixed results in health and beauty care (HBC) in 2013, with growth in basics such as toothpaste and soap, declines in suntan products and flatness in lip-treatment sales, according to IRI. Dollar sales of contraceptives held steady at $138.8 million, while units declined more than 3%. Sales of sanitary napkins and tampons fell nearly 3% and units declined 4%, IRI reports. Dollar and unit sales of eye and contact-lens products, meanwhile, increased.
In paper products, sales of toilet tissue fell by about 6% in both dollars and units. Paper-towel sales saw a lift of 2% in dollars and 1% in units, according to IRI.
| Personal Care | ||||
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Contraceptives | $138.8 | 0.1% | 36.3 | -3.3% |
| Sanitary napkins/ tampons | $50.0 | -2.7% | 12.7 | -4.1% |
| Toothbrush/dental accessories | $22.7 | -1.4% | 8.9 | -4.1% |
| Toothpaste | $11.8 | 4.4% | 4.8 | 5.0% |
| Mouthwash | $10.3 | -1.9% | 3.8 | -0.5% |
| Lip treatment | $82.2 | 0.0% | 39.0 | -2.5% |
| Eye/contact lens care product | $66.3 | 2.5% | 17.0 | 2.7% |
| Deodorant | $16.8 | -0.3% | 5.4 | 1.1% |
| Soap | $13.9 | 12.5% | 6.8 | 6.4% |
| Suntan products | $10.2 | -11.2% | 1.3 | -18.2% |
| Hand & body lotion | $7.7 | 0.0% | 3.2 | -0.1% |
| Blades | $7.3 | -0.2% | 2.5 | -3.1% |
| Nail cosmetics | $5.0 | 3.4% | 3.5 | 2.7% |
| Hair accessories | $3.8 | -4.4% | 2.3 | -3.5% |
| Shampoo | $3.2 | 1.9% | 1.2 | -1.8% |
| Baby needs | $4.3 | -8.8% | 1.8 | -10.5% |
| Diapers | $3.0 | 8.0% | 0.4 | -18.3% |
| Paper products | ||||
| Toilet tissue | $56.5 | -5.9% | 29.2 | -6.2% |
| Paper towels | $23.3 | 2.2% | 12.0 | 1.0% |
| Facial tissue | $11.1 | -1.8% | 7.9 | 0.7% |
| Paper napkins | $2.0 | -1.6% | 1.1 | -4.2% |
Source: IRI
Distributor Data: HBC Shipments
Calendar year 2013
Dollar growth in shipments of health and beauty care (HBC) items from McLane fell 2% in 2013.
| Segment | Avg. shipments per store per week (in dollars) | Avg. shipments per store per week (dollar growth) | PCYA |
| Grooming aids | $12.44 | -$0.72 | -5.5% |
| Family planning | $12.12 | +$0.07 | 0.6% |
| External care | $10.28 | -$0.31 | -2.9% |
| Feminine hygiene | $5.74 | -$0.14 | -2.4% |
| Smoking cessation | $0.25 | +$0.20 | 431.9% |
| Other HBC | $10.35 | +$0.24 | 2.4% |
| Total HBC | $181.62 | -$3.75 | -2.0% |
Source: McLane Co.
Feminine-Hygiene Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store tampon sales declined nearly 3% in 2013 to $35.8 million and sanitary-napkin sales fell 2.5% to $14.2 million, according to IRI. Tampax tampons were the top-selling brand in this segment overall.
Sanitary Napkins/Tampons by Brand | ||||
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Tampax tampons | $25.4 | -8.5% | $23.4 | -9.1% |
| Always sanitary napkins/liners | $10.7 | 2.9% | $17.3 | 3.8% |
| Playtex Gentle Glide tampons | $4.5 | -4.6% | $9.8 | -11.8% |
| Tampax Pearl tampons | $3.1 | 131.3% | $9.4 | 247.6% |
| Stayfree sanitary napkins/liners | $2.6 | -24.4% | $5.0 | -23.4% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $50.0 | -2.7% | $107.6 | -4.2% |
Source: IRI
Distributor Data: Feminine Hygiene by UPC
Calendar year 2013
1. Tampax Super tampons (flushable applicator, 10-count)
2. Tampax Regular tampons (flushable applicator, 10-count)
3. Tampax Super Plus tampons (flushable applicator, 10-count)
4. Always Ultra Maxi with wings (18-count)
5. Playtex Deodorant tampons (8-count)
Source: McLane Co.
Condom Trends
According to IRI, c-store unit sales of condoms declined more than 3% in 2013, while dollar sales rose by only one-tenth of a percent to total $138.8 million. Nielsen places total condom sales at $141.1 million in the 52 weeks ending Feb. 15, 2014, with dollars up 0.5% and units off nearly 4%.
IRI and Nielsen both rank Church & Dwight, manufacturer of the Trojan brand, as having the greatest share of c-store condom sales.
Condom Manufacturer and Brand Share: Two Views
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
| Manufacturer | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Share of category sales | Point change | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Church & Dwight Co. Inc. | $97.5 | 7.7% | 70.3% | 5.0 | 24.5 | 4.7% |
| Ansell Americas | $19.6 | –2.2% | 14.1% | –0.3 | 5.3 | –6.2% |
| Reckitt Benckiser Inc. | $19.4 | –25.9% | 14.0% | –4.9 | 5.5 | –27.3% |
| Total (including manufacturers not shown) | $138.8 | 0.1% | 100.0% | NA | 36.3 | –3.3% |
Source: IRI
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Feb. 15, 2014
| Brand (manufacturer) | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Share of category sales | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Trojan (Church & Dwight) | $88.4 | 3.8% | 62.6% | 20.3 | 0.8% |
| Lifestyles (Ansell) | $40.0 | -3.3% | 28.4% | 9.8 | -9.7% |
| Durex (Reckitt Benckiser) | $11.8 | -10.7% | 8.4% | 3.0 | -11.5% |
| All other | $0.9 | 44.6% | 0.6% | 0.2 | 35.4% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $141.1 | 0.5% | 100.0% | 33.4 | -3.5% |
Source: The Nielsen Co., Ansell Healthcare
Condom UPCs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Feb. 15, 2014
The three-count Trojan Magnum was the top-selling c-store condom UPC by unit and dollar sales in the 52 weeks ending Feb. 15, 2014, according to Nielsen.
| UPC | Unit sales (millions) | C-store sales ($ millions) |
| Trojan Magnum (3-count) | 4.4 | $18.2 |
| Trojan Very Thin (3-count) | 2.8 | $12.1 |
| Trojan Ribbed (3-count) | 2.5 | $10.4 |
| LifeStyles Kyng (3-count) | 1.9 | $8.2 |
| Trojan-ENZ (3-count) | 1.7 | $7.0 |
| Trojan Fire & Ice (3-count) | 1.5 | $6.6 |
| LifeStyles Ultra Sensitive (3-count) | 1.6 | $6.5 |
| Trojan Her Pleasure (3-count) | 1.5 | $6.5 |
| Lifestyles Skyn (3-count) | 1.5 | $6.1 |
| Trojan Magnum Thin (3-count) | 1.2 | $5.4 |
Source: The Nielsen Co., Ansell Healthcare
Lip-Care Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
Lip-treatment sales held steady in 2013 at $82.1 million, according to IRI. Pfizer’s ChapStick Classic supplied more than 52% of c-store dollar sales in the lip-balm segment, IRI reports, while Carma Labs’ Carmex claimed 77% of the dollar share in the cold-sore-medication category.
Lip-Balm/Cold-Sore Medications | ||||
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| ChapStick Classic | $34.1 | -0.1% | 15.8 | -1.1% |
| Carmex Cold Sore | $12.7 | -1.9% | 6.0 | -4.0% |
| Blistex | $8.7 | 4.4% | 4.8 | 2.5% |
| Carmex Lip Balm | $6.0 | 10.2% | 2.9 | 8.6% |
| ChapStick Lip Moisturizer | $5.6 | 6.6% | 2.7 | 5.3% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $82.1 | 0.0% | 39.0 | -2.5% |
Source: IRI
Distributor Data: Top Lip Care by UPC
Calendar year 2013
1. ChapStick Classic Original (0.15-oz.)
2. ChapStick Classic Cherry (0.15-oz.)
3. Lil’ Drug Store Carmex Tube
4. Blistex Lip Balm (0.15-oz.)
5. ChapStick Moisturizer (0.15-oz.)
Source: McLane Co.
Cross-Category Opportunity
C-stores with a big Hispanic customer base tend to overindex in sales of baby-care items. This was the finding by Management Science Associates (MSA), which examined two years’ worth of shipment data from McLane Co. These “heavy-basket Hispanic” locations enjoyed the greatest year-over-year growth among the different store demographic segments that MSA analyzed. These same sites saw high sales of laundry-care items as well.
Toilet Tissues by Brand
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store toilet-paper sales fell nearly 6% in 2013, according to IRI. Procter & Gamble’s Charmin Ultra Strong again ranked the top seller by dollars, while private label led by unit sales.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Charmin Ultra Strong | $14.5 | -24.4% | 5.5 | -23.7% |
| Private label | $13.4 | 1.0% | 7.4 | -1.4% |
| Scott | $12.1 | -2.6% | 7.1 | -7.7% |
| CVP | $4.2 | -3.1% | 2.0 | 0.1% |
| Angel Soft | $1.9 | 35.9% | 0.7 | 19.6% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $56.5 | -5.9% | 29.2 | -6.2% |
Source: IRI
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.