Drug chains secure positions in safety market

Drug Store News, Oct 9, 1995 by Wendy Friesen

As baby boomers approach middle age and the nation's senior population swells, issues of home safety and personal security are becoming foremost in the minds of many consumers.

I think people are feeling vulnerable," said a buyer for a Northeastern drug chain. "Maybe crime statistics aren't rising, but the average person's attention to media reports of crime and bad things in general, like house fires and carbon monoxide leaks, seems to be on the increase. People want to protect themselves and their loved ones as best they can."

Security centers in various sizes and configurations have been tested or are in place at various stores in the Drug Emporium, Phar-Mor, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Thrift chains, and more are in the works.

Some chains are adopting a more cautious, wait-and-see approach. Said Paul Genovese, merchandise manager at Melville, N.Y.-based Genovese, "It's just a matter of time before we create a security section, but first we need to determine what the product mix should be."

Response has been solid

Genovese, he reported, is currently seeing solid sales of The Club from within its automotive sections, and it positions carbon monoxide detectors within a "wellness section" that includes air purifiers, vaporizers, humidifiers and dental appliances. There's also a selection of First Alert smoke detectors and rechargeable flashlights located on an end panel elsewhere in the store.

Manufacturers of safety and security products are responding to consumer concerns about personal and home safety by adding new products and broadening their existing ones. Many are also developing merchandisers and informative signage designed both to alert consumers to potential dangers and instruct them in the proper use of each product.

And some manufacturers have gone for maximum impact, reasoning that consumer attention will increase - and add-on sales ensue - if they can successfully position this somewhat disparate group of products as a category unto itself and encourage drug chains to respond by instituting vertical marketing techniques.

Bennington, Vt.-based Mace, whose name over the years has become virtually synonymous with personal defense sprays, stands firmly behind the category approach to sales in the security sector.

In addition to an extensive line of tear gas and pepper sprays as well as other formulations designed to conform to varying state regulations, the company has a line of home security devices including door and window braces and infrared motion detectors, as well as a line of auto-protection devices.

Education is key

Stressing consumer education, the company has devised merchandisers for its products that include informative signage and leaflets that describe product usage and encourage add-on sales.

"We're very supportive of the concept of security centers in the drug chains," said Susan Moore, Mace's sales director. "Drug stores are where women shop, and women are our target customers. They're looking for information about what products are available, especially at this time of year, when the days are shorter and the nights get longer."

Mace has expanded the security/safety category with its acquisition of the KinderGard line of child protection products, including door and cabinet latches, corner and edge cushions and poison treatment kits.

General Electric, too, is strongly represented in this area, with its Saf-T-Gard line of outlet protectors, non-shattering Teflon-coated light bulbs and children's night lights, as well as home security devices like halogen floodlights with built-in photo cells to turn the light on and off automatically. products that sell well in security centers as well as near the register for impulse sales. Often featured upfront are non-toxic pepper sprays such as Repel, from Woodland Inc. in Manlius, N.Y., with a $5.99 price tag that makes it a big seller among women as well as the concerned men in their lives. Personal alarms can be found upfront, as can, especially in the winter months, small-size carbon monoxide and combustible gas detectors, such as the Safety Siren, from Family Safety Products in Atlanta, which has a line of low-price plug-in models.

Winner International, the Sharon, Pa.-based company best known for The Club line of anti-theft devices for autos, boats, bicycles and doors, is a major mover and shaker in the security field, with a product line that also includes pepper sprays and high-frequency personal alarms in various styles and colors.

Taking its cue from Bureau of Justice reports indicating that 5-in-6 Americans will be the victim of a violent crime at least once in their lives, Winner has embarked on a campaign to teach consumers how to avoid being victims of crime, educating them with informative packaging and signage as well as promotions such as a personal defense video, featuring actress Mimi Rogers, which is available by mail-order for $5.95 and proof of purchase.

This month, Winner is introducing a self-contained, freestanding spinner rack which occupies a 2-foot-square space and holds an assortment of product tailored to the needs and preferences of each store.