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stockchecker on hair coloring
D.P. Hamacher & Associates Inc., a Milwaukee-based management consulting company specializing in drugstore management tools, provided the material for this column. For further information, call the Hamacher firm at 1-(800) 888-0889, or e-mail the company at Hamacher@execpc.com. Hamacher also has a Web site at http://www.hamacher.com .
As demographics change, so does a category's focus. The nation's teen population is growing faster than any other group, a fact not lost on hair care manufacturers. This year's big hit, hair coloring, taps into the style consciousness of Generation X and Y men and women as never before. In the past six months, hair color items accounted for 117 of the nearly 300 hair care introductions. And established brands, like Clairol and L'Oreal, are introducing strong color linesHerbal Essence and Open, respectivelyto target this youth market.
Sales of the subcategory as a whole grew 5.3%, and drugstores lead all other outlets in the hair coloring category. However, both food and mass outlets are gaining ground at the expense of drugstores.
Outlet | Sales (000) | Change % | Outlet Share | Change % |
Drugstores | $564,000 | +2.3 | 40% | -1.2 |
Mass-merchants | 535,800 | +5.6 | 38 | +.2 |
Food stores | 310,200 | +10.5 | 22 | +1 |
Total | 1,410,000 | +5.3 |
Men's hair color is behind a great deal of category growth. Over the past two years, the men's side of the business has been growing twice as fast as the women's market. Sales of men's hair coloring products have reached $200 million, showing no signs of declining any time soon.
Is it true that blondes have more fun? More than 40% of those who color their hair are willing to bet they do. The popularity of blonde shades has spread toand is driven bythe age 16-24 male market. According to a survey by Teenage Research Unlimited, 63% of teen boys said that dyed hair is cool. Thanks to popular personalities like Eminem and baseball's Mike Piazza, teens are seeing the people they admire going blonde. And in typical teen fashion, they are consciously copying the style.
L'Oreal and Clairol, manufacturers that have catered to mature customers, are trying to make inroads with teens and young adults. L'Oreal's Open line, containing 24 SKUs, and Clairol's Herbal Essence line have debuted with huge marketing budgets. These manufacturers hope to position their products as market leaders among the young who use hair coloring to make a fashion statement. Teens also feel that hair coloring makes them look and feel better about themselves.
Another established name, Revlon, has introduced its High Dimension line to compete with Feria and L'Oreal's new Open line. High Dimension is the first 10-minute color on the market and is available in 24 vibrant shades.
We merchandise hair coloring in brand blocks that follow the manufacturer's number codes. In larger sets, we include a variety of brands to offer customers the best selection and a substantial number of new products. In smaller sets, we pare down the subcategory, focusing on the best-selling line and filling in the gaps with top sellers and product introductions from other brands. This strategy enables retailers to specialize in one brand while still providing the most popular shades of other brands.
We place a small number of men's hair coloring items in the hair care department. However, the bulk of men's coloring products are merchandised on the shelves of the men's shaving & grooming department. These products include men's blonde shades from Feria and Herbal Essence.
Hair coloring is an important subcategory for drugstores. Stay in-stock on a variety of products, and keep your shelves well merchandised. Your customers will appreciate the options.
Large Dept.
Medium Dept. | Small Dept. | ||
Linear Feet | 24 | 20 | 10 |
Number of SKUs | 80 | 70 | 28 |
Estimated Sales per Year | $3,300 | $3,000 | $1,725 |
Estimated Inventory Retail | $1,120 | $1,000 | $470 |
Retail Inventory Turns | 3 | 3 | 3.6 |
Product | Manufacturer |
Clairol Xtreme FX Blue Denim | Bristol-Myers |
Clairol Xtreme FX Hot Red
Clairol Xtreme FX Purple | Bristol-Myers |
Clairol Xtreme FX Smoldering Orange | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 10 Pale Blonde | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 13 Light Irides Blonde | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 14 Light Golden Blonde
Herbal Essence Hair Color 22 Medium Blonde | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 25 Med Irides Blonde | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 26 Dark Blonde
Herbal Essence Hair Color 38 Bright Auburn | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 40 Bright Burgundy | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 42 Deep Auburn
Herbal Essence Hair Color 44 Deep Red | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 45 Auburn Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 46 Copper Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 48 Radiant Burgundy
Herbal Essence Hair Color 48.5 Deep Intense Copp | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 49 Deep Intense Ruby | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 54 Light Golden Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 56 Light Brown
Herbal Essence Hair Color 60 Med Golden Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 61 Bronze Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 63 Med Rich Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 65 Deep Bronze Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 67 Deep Rich Brown | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color 70 Bright Black | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color XL2 Extra Light Blonde | Bristol-Myers |
Herbal Essence Hair Color XL4 Ex Light Cop/Bld | Bristol-Myers |
L'Oreal Excellence Cream 4RB Dark Red Brown
L'Oreal Excellence Cream 4RR Intense Deep Burg | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Excellence Cream 5RR Intense Cop/Red | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Excellence Cream 6RR Intense Auburn
L'Oreal Excellence Cream 7G Dark Golden Blonde | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Excellence Creamlights | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Feria 82 Iridescent Blush | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Feria 92 Iridescent Bloom | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Feria 102 Iridescent Bliss
L'Oreal Feria Extra Bleach Blonde | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 3W Magic Spell | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 4C Calypso | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 4G Equinox | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 4M Solar | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 4N Terrestrial | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 5G Odyssey | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 5K Borealis | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 5M Equator | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 5N Atlantis
L'Oreal Open 5R Aurora | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 6C Venus | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 6G Oxygen | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 6M Orion | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 6N Stellar | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 7C Zenith | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 7G Solstice | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 7N Harmony | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 8G Comet | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 8K Osiris
L'Oreal Open 8N Azure | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 9G Celestial | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 9N Lunar | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 10G Astral | L'Oreal |
L'Oreal Open 10N Horizon | L'Oreal |
Lumina Hair Color 21 Black Iris | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 32 Plum Orchid | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 36 African Violet
Lumina Hair Color 40 Flowering Maple | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 42 Chestnut Petals | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 43 Hazelnut Bloom | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 44 Autumn Bouquet | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 50 Maple Blossom
Lumina Hair Color 52 Flowering Chestnut | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 53 Amber Lily | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 54 Ginger Petals | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 55 Cherry Blossom | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 56 Blooming Berry | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 60 Wheat Bloom
Lumina Hair Color 63 Golden Nectar | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 64 Copper Peony | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 65 Copper Carnation | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 69 Tiger Lily | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 70 Jasmine Bouquet | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 71 Passionflower | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 73 Goldenrod | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color 80 Blond Gardenia | Maybelline |
Lumina Hair Color Golden Honeysuckle | Maybelline |
Natural Instincts Exotic Peruvian Fire 83
Natural Instincts Exotic Rio Red Ginger 84 | Bristol-Myers |
Natural Instincts Exotic Burmese Ruby 85 | Bristol-Myers |
Nutrisse Hair Color 92 Chardonnay | Maybelline |
Nutrisse Hair Color 94 Apricot | Maybelline |
Nutrisse Lightening Kit | Maybelline |
Revlon High Dimension 01 Ult/Light/Nat/Blond | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 02 Ultra Soft Blond
Revlon High Dimension 21 Bright Black | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 22 Mahogany Black | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 35 Velvet Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 40 Dark Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 44 Dark Copper Mahog | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 45 Burgundy Brown
Revlon High Dimension 50 Medium Brown
Revlon High Dimension 54 Bronzed Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 55 Medium Auburn | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 56 Auburn Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 58 Med Golden Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 60 Light Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 61 Light Cl Brown | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 66 Light Auburn | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 70 Dark Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 74 Bark Copper Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 80 Medium Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 83 Medium Gold Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 83 Rich Gold Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 90 Light Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 92 Very Light Cl Blonde | Revlon |
Revlon High Dimension 96 Light red Blonde | Revlon |
Use this never-out list to monitor your in-stock condition. The items listed account for more than 50% of the dollar sales in the hair coloring subcategory. An out-of-stock on any of these items represents a significant loss of sales.
____ Clairol Frost & Tip Blonde
____ L'Oreal Frost & Design Kit
____ L'Oreal Preference 5 Medium Brown
____ Nice n Easy 98 Extra Light Brown
____ Nice n Easy 122 Black
____ Nice n Easy 124 Blue Black
Sandra Levy. Hair coloring has drugstores seeing green.
Drug Topics
2001;22.