Chains flex promotional muscle

MMR, July 21, 2008

NEW YORK -- Promotions play a key role in the cosmetics category, attracting consumers to new products and driving traffic to mass retail stores.

As a result there is no shortage of offers involving nail care products, as a sampling of store circulars from late June reveals.

A circular for Longs Drug Stores outlets in Los Angeles, for example, contained a "buy one, get one free" offer for Coty US Inc.'s Rimmel London cosmetics products, including nail color. The circular contained an offer of 25% off the purchase of Del Laboratories Inc.'s Sally Hansen nail color and treatment as well as the brand's facial treatment products.

Cosmetics shoppers in Seattle, meanwhile, could take advantage of an offer from Kroger Co.'s Fred Meyer chain, which featured Revlon Consumer Products Corp.'s nail color at two for $6.

In Cleveland a Rite Aid Corp. circular offered shoppers the chance to buy one Revlon nail color product and get another one free. (The offer also applied to Revlon lipstick, foundation and concealer.)

A circular for Sears Holdings Corp.'s Kmart stores in Cleveland, meanwhile, offered Revlon cosmetics products, including nail color, at 40% off.

CVS Caremark Corp. store circulars in Cleveland promised 50% off on Maybelline brand products from L'Oreal USA Inc. as well as T.B.C. Enterprises' Nailtiques Nail Treatment and Seche Inc.'s Seche Nail Color at "prices starting at $5.95."

Ahold's Giant Landover chain offered shoppers in Baltimore the chance to save $1 on Sally Hansen nail color and nail treatment products.

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Kroger circulars in Atlanta, meanwhile, offered 40% off on Sally Hansen nail cosmetics products as well as on facial, eye and lip cosmetics. The circular also featured an offer of 50% off on all Revlon cosmetics products, including nail color.