A spate of new product introductions and a greater awareness among men of the benefits of personal care have propelled new growth in the men's bath and body care categories.
Building on the trend of "metrosexuals" that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, new product entries in the category are wedging the door open a little bit more, and supermarkets are sitting up to take notice, sources told SN.
"Ladies have always taken a great deal of interest in bath and upscale body bathing products. Us men have used whatever's on hand," said Bill Mansfield, vice president of general merchandise and HBC, Pueblo International, San Juan, Puerto Rico. "We are beginning to spend more of our attention on what are the benefits, what do I feel like, smell like. What's the shower experience other than just getting clean?" The shift is due to a change in attitude for a large segment of the population, he said.
"There hasn't been a big focus on men's bath and body, but a series of new products keying in on this area over the last several months has justified a new spirit of growth in men's toiletries that hasn't existed for a while," said Roy White, vice president of education for the GMDC Educational Foundation, New York, a part of the General Merchandise Distributors Council, Colorado Springs, Colo.
The door to men's products isn't fully open yet, sources said, but there is potential in the category.
"Women's bath and body will continue to have three to four times the number of [stockkeeping units] that men's will. However, men's bath and body care will become an emerging and lasting section that will certainly grow and define itself a lot in the next few years," said Diane Garber, president, In Sight Communications, Buffalo Grove, Ill. Companies like Unilever, with its Axe product, and others who have tested the water, have gotten a positive reading, she said.
"It's not yet emerging as ubiquitous as deodorant; it's not there yet, but it will grow," Garber said.
"Companies are looking into new flavors, and a lot of them are getting into men's," said a nonfood executive with an east Texas retailer. "Now they are looking at other avenues, other users to help grow the business."
Specifically, men's body washes are starting to appear in greater numbers, the retailer said, pointing to a large number of products seen at a recent GMDC HBC conference, where SN spoke to many retailers. High profile introductions seen were men's body washes from Axe and Adidas, among others
"Right now, body washes are exploding. It's a huge category, so anything we can get in that category and put in there, we're doing it," said Gordon Thompson, general merchandise buyer-merchandiser, Rosauers Supermarkets, Spokane, Wash. Thompson pointed to a new body wash from Adidas targeted for men as a prime example.
"So many body washes are targeted towards women. I think the Adidas body wash will fit right in with the Old Spice. Right now the only product we have that targets men is Old Spice. Adidas will fit right in there and do well," he said.
According to data from Information Resources Inc., Chicago, for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 3, dollar sales of bar soap was down 15.9% and unit sales were down 15% over the previous year. In the category of liquid soaps, excluding liquid hand soap, dollar sales were up 2.6% and unit sales were up 5% over the previous year.
The greatest area of growth within the liquid soap category was in three new introductions to men's products, IRI reported: Old Spice High Endurance, Old Spice Pure Sport and Suave for Men. Old Spice High Endurance grew 167.7% in dollar sales and 159% in unit sales over the previous year to reach $4.2 million in dollar sales and 1.1 million in unit sales. Old Spice Pure Sport grew to $3.7 million in dollar sales and 943,000 in unit sales, a growth of 85.3% and 80.6%, respectively. Suave for Men grew the largest, 738.6% in dollar sales and 760.5% in unit sales, to reach a total of $3.4 million and 1.5 million, respectively.
The battle for share of the men's bath and body categories will be fought on the field of image and education, Garber said. The mind-set and lifestyle attachment, more than price sensitivity, will drive sales, she said.
Toward that end, she said, licensed products could provide a shortcut to the lifestyle image that products are looking for.
"You could have a sports franchise out there, then you have 'I'm young and contemporary' and another one could be 'I'm rugged,"' she said. Brands like Eddie Bauer or Wrangler that have lent their image in sophisticated licensing agreements with car manufacturers could provide the licensing model.
Bath and body care items are a "fashion business" that is driven by what is new and unique about the products, said Mansfield.
"The new fragrances, the new scents, the new packaging are all things the retailer wants and they're all things the customer will respond to, but we need to make the old go away," he said.
A targeted approach to the category will be most effective, sources said.
"As always, the retailer needs to be sharp and deliberate. You don't need to have 27 SKUs or every single brand extension. Be focused and get the key items from the various vendors, be bright and be brief," Garber said.
As a fledgling category, men's products do still have to prove themselves to some retailers.
"It's not selling phenomenally for us," said Dan Spears, HBC/GM director, Ingles Markets, Asheville, N.C. "What draws attention to the category is that you're getting some incremental sales in an area that typically has been flat. Men have not really bought the bath and body items."
Other retailers said that they recognize the value of bath and body care, but haven't really started to incorporate it in any substantial way.
"We are expanding the category as quickly as we can, but in our global world within our organization we really don't have any good sets yet," said Larry Schimpf, director of HBC/Nonfoods, Clemens Family Markets, Kulpsville, Pa.
The nonfood executive from Texas also pointed to Vitalis for men and Suave for men hair grooming products as part of the emerging trend of men's personal care.
