Carex wants new bathroom products to be simply safe

Drug Store News, Jan 9, 1995

ATLANTA -- Rubbermaid's acquisition of home health care manufacturer Carex last summer brought expectations of innovative new products.

The company took the first step in that direction with the unveiling of 15 new and redesigned products at last fall's 15th annual Medtrade/NHHCE show.

Most of the new items on display by Rubbermaid Health Products, the division of Rubbermaid that will market the Carex line, were prototype bath safety items that will be available to retailers in early 1995.

A noticeable difference in the line is the elimination of the familiar tubular aluminum, plastic and nuts and bolts design. The use of these materials in bath safety products is so widespread that products from various manufacturers are indistinguishable. New products in the Carex line feature a sturdy, all plastic construction with close attention paid to user-friendly design features, an important consideration for incapacitated end-users of such products.

"Consumers are really tired of products that come with a bag of nuts and bolts and an instruction booklet," said Wolf Schmitt, Rubbermaid's chairman and chief executive officer.

Plenty of new products

During 1995, Schmitt said, Rubbermaid plans to introduce about 400 new products with an unspecified number of those being home health care related. "Retailers can expect to see a very aggressive flow of new products because that's what creates the momentum and the excitement," he said.

In addition to introducing new products, Schmitt wants to cultivate in the mind of the home health care consumer, the same perception of value that he believes is associated with Rubbermaid's other products. "We want to make sure the majority of our consumers will see our products as the most valuable, not necessarily the lowest priced because they probably won't be," he said.

From the retailer's perspective, Rubbermaid's involvement in the home health care arena should further invigorate the category by stimulating competition. The home health care category is already poised to benefit from key demographic trends such as shorter hospital stays and an aging population that is enjoying longer life expectancies. Meanwhile, chain drug retailers are increasingly expanding home health care product offerings to achieve the goal of giving consumers a one-stop shopping experience for all their health care needs.