New licenses center stage at SHOPA show

Discount Store News, Dec 8, 1997 by Mike Troy

Another broad trend was a greater sensitivity by manufacturers of the space constraints and in-store merchandising issues facing retailers. Endcap fixtures and rolling display carts with locking wheels were offered by vendors as a means to secure initial distribution or seasonal placement. Cut case boxes for high velocity Back-to-School products which simplify in-store replenishment were also prevalent.

To a degree, even self restraint was evident as some manufacturers have gotten the message that retailers' aren't interested in redundant skus. That's the philosophy at Tops, where director of marketing Steve Krone said the company's Go Girl and Space Rocks lines of notebooks and binders were limited to five images on four skus. 'We are not looking to go into a retailer and take over the entire wall. We pursue niches and trends because we want to be the hot spot on the shelf,' Krone said.