Suppliers find ways to give back..

Chain Drug Review, Jan 7, 2008

NEW YORK -- Three major battery suppliers have elevated the profile of their products and the category this year with initiatives devoted to the public good.

Energizer Holdings Inc. celebrated the 20th anniversary of the "Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery" program, urging Americans to use the "extra hour" of standard time to change their smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries.

People can change their batteries on these safety alarms almost anytime, but many do not. About 80% of fire deaths result from fires in homes that do not have working smoke alarms.

The program started in 1987 with fire departments in St. Louis and Atlanta. Now more than 5,900 departments across the country are participating. As a result, many Americans have adopted the habit of changing their batteries at the same time they change their clocks.

"We have no way of knowing exactly how many lives and homes have been saved as a result," International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) chief Steven Westermann said this fall.

"What we do know is that each year more Americans are replacing their batteries before they wear out, and that helps make each alarm safer." Having a working smoke alarm can cut the odds of dying in a home fire nearly in half. Virtually all American homes haw smoke alarms; however, more than a quarter have at least one nonworking alarm, mostly due to worn out or missing batteries. The IAFC estimates that more than 25 million homes are at risk.

For its part, Duracell last month announced the winners of a nationwide search for five child ambassadors to promote the "Power A Smile" campaign, which aims to spread the joy of powering up a gift for the first time to those most in need. Accompanying the ambassadors on charitable missions was actress Abigail Breslin.

The campaign works in two ways. For every photo of a smile that is uploaded to www. PowerASmile.com Duracell is making a donation to children's hospitals.

In addition, Breslin and each of the ambassadors delivers Duracell batteries to power toys at a children's hospital in their hometown.

Rayovac supplier Spectrum Brands Inc., meanwhile, contributed $250,000 to the Salvation Army and its annual Red Kettle fund-raising program, which benefits American in dividuals in need as well as families.

Chief executive officer Kent Hussey placed the check in a red kettle alongside Wal-Mart Stores Inc. CEO Lee Scott, who presented a $1 million check on behalf of the retailer.

The donation is among several Spectrum initiatives that are designed to dave increased awareness of the Red Kettle program and bring special attention to the plight of needy families.

HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES

TOTAL DOLLAR SALES * $1.36 bil. ( 1.1%)

                            Market   Dollar sales   Dollar sales
LEADING BRANDS              share       (000)         % change

Duracell Coppertop          37.5%       $509,706           0.5%
Energizer Max               26.5%        360,752           6.4%
Duracell Ultra Digital       4.8%         65,675        -  5.8%
Rayovac Max                  3.9%         52,697        -  2.0%
Energizer e2 Rechargeable    3.1%         41,738          21.0%
Energizer e2 Lithium         2.9%         40,061          49.1%
Energizer e2 Titanium        1.5%         20,185        -  3.5%

TOTAL UNIT SALES * $1.65 bil. ( 3.9%)

                            Market   Dollar sales   Dollar sales
LEADING BRANDS              share       (000)         % change

Duracell Coppertop          32.5%        537,145       -  4.8%
Energizer Max               25.4%        419,997       -  0.2%
Rayovac Max                  6.3%        105,321       -  2.0%
Duracell Ultra Digital       3.3%         54,448       -  7.1%
Energizer e2 Titanium        1.0%         16,899       -  7.5%
Energizer e2 Lithium         1.0%         15,957         48.1%
Energizer e2 Rechargeable    0.5%          9,060         21.9%

* Total of drug stores, supermarkets and discount stoma, excluding
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Private label products account for a 14.1%
dollar share and a 19.9% unit share.

Source: Nielsen Co. For the 52 weeks ended October 6, 2007