Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/709458
C h a i n D r u g s t o r e D a i l y Tu e s d a y, A u g u s t 9 , 2 0 1 6 5 4 FIVE STRATEGIES TO SWEETEN SEASONAL SALES Americans love the seasons and holidays, and they go to great lengths to make cel- ebrations extra special. Often, this means including chocolate and confections that are family favorites, like seasonally fla- vored or colored M&M'S ® Brand Candies. Drug retailers should take note: sea- sonal candy represents 40 percent of con- fectionery sales in the channel. To help maximize category sales potential, Mars Chocolate North America recommends five winning seasonal strategies: 1. Differentiate and inspire. Winning retailers anchor their seasonal strategies to a creative statement that comes to life in a centrally-located destination in-store, which then is complemented with impulse destinations throughout the store. 2. Overt and highly shoppable mini-des- tinations. Retailers can inspire greater seasonal participation by offering solu- tions for traditions such as gifting, deco- rating and entertaining. Secondary loca- tions, from the pharmacy to check lanes and everything in between, will drive impulse sales and build bigger baskets. 3. Purposeful executions during "blurred" and "mini" seasons. Shoppers often navigate through multiple seasons at once, such as February's Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day. Successful retailers emphasize the pri- mary season, with supplemental mer- chandising for mini-seasons. 4. Bold, clear pricing. No matter what the season, bold pricing statements on quali- ty candy are critical to driving store choice, aisle navigation and impulse. Ensure representation of a variety of price points, particularly in gifting. 5. Early and often promo- tional calendar. Candy is relevant throughout sea- sonal periods, yet what shoppers buy changes over the course of time. For example, a shopper may explore the first taste of the season, and later she'll buy for snacking, parties and gifting. Seasonal gifting continues to grow, and shoppers seek out gifts with a unique fla- vor or personal touch. From Halloween Boo-ing and Christmas stocking stuffers to Valentine's Day teacher gifts, shoppers can choose from a variety of seasonal treasures. Another trend is seasonal shapes, like TWIX ® Hearts and Eggs and SNICKERS ® Hearts, Eggs, Pumpkins and Trees. Placed by the register, these are ideal grab-and-go snacks. In addition to festive seasonal shapes, Mars Chocolate is rolling out a host of new holiday items, including: Easter 2016: M&M'S Speckled Malt Mini Chocolate Eggs, SNICK- ERS Minis Filled Cane with bunny ears on top, and DOVE ® Chocolate Bunnies and Chicks. Halloween 2016: M&M'S Milk Chocolate Crispy S'mores Candies, DOVE Milk Chocolate in a new "treat size" that are perfect for trick-or-treating, DOVE Dark Chocolate Jack-O-Lanterns, and variety bags filled with "Crunchy & Crispy" and "Smooth & Creamy" offer- ings. Christmas 2016: SNICKERS and MILKY WAY ® Bites packaged in an ornament pouch, TWIX Brand Minis Cane for the Holidays and a beautiful gift box filled with DOVE Brand PROMISES ® Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate. For more information, visit www.mars.com or call 800.631.7630. CURAD IS BOLDER, BETTER First aid can be complicated for con- sumers, especially when patients have more urgent needs and have to make product decisions quickly to help them- selves or a loved one get back on the road to recovery. That's why CURAD is proud to announce a new look and feel for the brand. By redesigning the packaging to go from white to green, it makes it easier for consumers to spot on shelves. In addi- tion, it created a new logo for CURAD in the shape of a shield to represent strength and protection. Innovation is another driver for the brand, and the CURAD pipeline is thriving to make even more of its hospi- tal-grade technology available at home to consumers. Soothe & Cool ® Soothe & Cool is a hydrating, high water content pad that pulls the heat from the burn while giving moisture back to help the healing process. The hydrogel dress- ing provides a cooling effect that stops the painful, burning sensation. This band- age covers the burned area of skin for up to five days to promote an ideal healing environment by protecting against dehy- dration and external contamination. Soothe & Cool works on minor burns, blisters and skin abrasions. QuickStop! ® When cuts happen, it's instinctual to want to quickly stop the bleeding. If you have a fear of blood or are one of the more than two million people in the U.S. taking blood thinners to avoid the risk of blood clots, QuickStop! offers a quick and natural solution. New technology called M•Doc™, or Micro Dispersed Oxidized Cellulose, is a naturally derived materi- al that speeds up the blood clotting process. Available in a bandage or a spray, QuickStop! rapidly absorbs the blood from minor, surface skin injuries and forms a protective layer over the wound. Truly Ouchless! Plastic Last summer, CURAD introduced Truly Ouchless!, a flex fabric line specifically designed with an inno- vative release adhesive so bandage removal is less painful than typi- cal bandages. Now, Ouchless technology has taken things to the next level with new Truly Ouchless ® Plastic, making it even easier to secure after you've taken a peek at healing wounds and re-apply it. As CURAD continues to appeal to the needs of today's consumers, Medline is in a strong position to rise in the mar- ketplace, delivering products backed by healthcare industry savvy and clinical expertise. For more information, go to www.curad.com. SPARK THERAPEUTICS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF GENABLE TECHNOLOGIES Spark Therapeutics has announced that it has acquired Dublin, Ireland-based Genable Technologies, a private gene therapy innovator with which Spark has collaborated since 2014 in the develop- ment of Genable's therapeutic program targeting one of the most prevalent forms of inherited retinal disease (IRD). With the acquisition, Spark acquires RhoNova™, a potential treatment target- ing rhodopsin-linked autosomal domi- nant retinitis pigmentosa (RHO-adRP), an IRD that routinely leads to visual impairment and in the most severe cases to blindness. Using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector developed and manu- factured at Spark, RhoNova is designed to both suppress the expression of a faulty gene and deliver normal copies of the RHO gene to restore normal expres- sion. RhoNova has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in both the U.S. and Europe in addition to the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product designation from the European Medicines Agency. There is currently no approved pharma- cologic treatment for RHO-adRP, which affects an estimated 12,000 patients in the United States and the five major European markets (EU5). "This transaction advances our strat- egy of leveraging Spark's best-in-class gene therapy platform through a combi- nation of internal innovation, acquisition and collaboration," said Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, Spark Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Genable's technolo- gy and promising RhoNova development program further strengthens our portfolio of treatments for IRDs, which is led by our Phase 3 program for RPE65-mediat- ed blindness which recently reported overwhelmingly positive pivotal stage data." "Genable has provided convincing data in animals to support their innova- tive scientific approach for the treatment of autosomal dominant diseases, where it is critical to both suppress faulty genes and replace them with a functional copy in order to have a meaningful therapeutic effect," said Katherine A. High, MD, Co- Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Spark. "We look forward to using our validated gene therapy devel- opment platform and expertise to accel- erate the clinical development of RhoNova, while examining other poten- tial applications for the Genable suppres- sion/augmentation approach outside of this initial indication." The consideration paid to Genable shareholders consisted of $6 million in cash and 265,000 shares of Spark com- mon stock. Additional financial terms were not disclosed. About Spark Therapeutics Spark is a gene therapy leader seeking to transform the lives of patients with debili- tating genetic diseases by developing one- time, life-altering treatments. Spark's ini- tial focus is on treating rare diseases where no, or only palliative, therapies exist. Spark's most advanced product candidate, SPK-RPE65 (voretigene neparvovec), which has received both breakthrough therapy and orphan product designation, recently reported positive top-line results from a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of rare blinding conditions. Spark's validated gene therapy platform is being applied to a range of clinical and preclinical programs addressing serious genetic diseases, including inherited reti- nal dystrophies, hematologic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Spark builds on two decades of research, devel- opment and manufacturing at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, including human trials conducted across diverse therapeutic areas and routes of administration. About Genable Technologies Genable Technologies Ltd. is a privately held, venture-capital-backed, Dublin, Ireland-based gene therapy company. Genable is developing new gene thera- pies to treat "dominant" genetic diseases. Genable has received significant support and investment from Fountain Healthcare Partners, Delta Partners, Fighting Blindness Ireland, Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Research Institute (U.S.), Trinity College Dublin and Enterprise Ireland. For more information, visit www.sparktx .com and www.genable.net.