'Extra strength' gaining volume among proprietaries

Drug Store News, Jan 22, 1990 by Alan Miller

`Extra strength' gaining volume among proprietaries

The premise of "extra" and "maximum strength" is a prime motivator for line extensions in proprietary remedies. In order to assess these items' contribution to brand and category volume, we analyzed the high sales categories of internal analgesics and cold remedies for size and trends. The reports used for this special study were item scans in dollars for the year ended Sept. 8, 1989, showing national movement vs. that of a year ago for all items of major brands in these two categories in food stores.

Among internal analgesics, items under scrutiny were described as extra strength, maximum strength or arthritis strength. In the case of Ecotrin, which is a special arthritis product, only the maximum strength items were included in the breakout. Among cold remedies, besides extra strength and maximum strength descriptions, such items as Contac Severe Cold Formula were included. Those items differentiated by duration of relief claims weren't. In both categories, brands with less than a 1-percent share weren't included.

Among the 13 leading brands of internal analgesics, there are four with no extra-strength line extensions to date: Nuprin, Advil, Medipren and Panadol. There are two brands with roughly two-thirds of their volume currently provided by extra-strength line extensions. In each of these instances such items have increased in share substantially during the past 52 weeks, amounting to 2.0 share points in the case of brand "F" and 6.1 share points for brand "H". Two of the nine brands designated in the chart had losing share trends for their added-strength items: 2.3 share points for brand "D" and 0.6 of a share point for brand "G".

In the entire internal analgesics category, the identified extra-strength items had an annual volume of $316.3 million, or 28.8 percent of total category movement. Their share increased 0.6 of a point vs. the corresponding year-ago period, and their combined volume was 5.2 percent ahead of last year, as compared to a gain of 3.0 percent for the entire category.

In the cold remedies category, extra strength items overall do not have the same importance as was seen among internal analgesics, although there are two major leading brands, Sinutab II and Sinutab Maximum Strength, in which all of the volume is credited to extra strength.

Other proprietary remedy categories with extra-strength line extensions include antacids, external analgesics, cough remedies, sleeping aids, and appetite suppressants. Strength is also a variable factor in vitamin categories, both synthetic and natural.

Manufacturers wishing to secure additional information on extra-strength or other proprietary remedy line extension variables in food or drug stores, nationally or regionally, should contact Tom Angell, manager of H&BA services, Arbitron/SAMI, 41 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017.

Table : Dollar importance of extra strength internal analgesics in food stores

(Year ended Sept. 1989 vs. year ago)

Leading brand                                     Share
identification         Year ago     Current      change
Leading brand A        32.8%        32.9%        0.1
Leading brand B        0.8          9.9          0.1
Leading brand C        0.0          0.0          -
Leading brand D        38.4         36.1         (2.3)
Leading brand E        6.0          6.1          -
Leading brand F        63.5         65.5         2.0
Leading brand G        15.7         15.1         (0.6)
Leading brand H        60.3         66.4         6.1
Leading brand I        22.4         26.6         4.2
Leading brand J        48.1         50.1         2.0

Total leading brand extra strength volume $300,608 $316,295 5.2 (thousands of $) internal analgesics category volume $1,064,298

$1,096,387 3.0 (thousands of $)