Grocery Business - June 2017

NONFOODS NEWS By Rebekah Marcarelli

FRESHENING UP
N A TU R A LLY

Schmidt’s Naturals is expanding its Sensitive Skin deodorant line with the addition of three scents: Coconut Pineapple, Jasmine Tea and Lavender Tips.

The products are made with plant- and mineral-derived ingredients such as magnesium and arrowroot powder instead of controversial ingredients like aluminum and propylene glycol. The active ingredient in Schmidt’s deodorant products is magnesium, which works to help neutralize acidic odor-causing bacteria. When combined with the other natural ingredients, the deodorant keeps users feeling clean and dry, company officials say.

“Schmidt’s is made for the people. When we first came to market, it was to fill a void of feel-good, great smelling, natural deodorant that actually works,” says

Jaime Schmidt, founder of the Portland, Ore.-based company. “Our customers are a sounding board for product creation; they want a quality sensitive skin deodorant that doesn’t cut corners on ingredients or effectiveness. We’re giving it to them.”

For more information, visit schmidtsnaturals.com.

Honors for
Hallmark

The Harris Poll has named Hallmark Cards the

Greeting Card Brand of the Year for the seventh
year in a row. The annual report uses consumer
responses to determine the top brands in a variety
of areas, and Hallmark Cards received the high-
est numerical Equity Score among greeting card
brands included in the 2017 study.
“As a brand built on enhancing relationships,
we know we must reflect that principle in our rela-
tionships with our retail partners,” says Sabrina
Wiewel, chief customer officer at the Kansas City,
Mo.-based company. “Retailers are often the front
lines in our interaction with consumers, so we
continue to strengthen our partnerships, offer
the best mix of products and elevate the shopping
experience at each store to ensure consumers feel a
strong personal connection with our brands.”
The results are based on survey responses from
more than 102,000 U.S. consumers of more than

4,000 brands. A brand’s Equity is determined by a calculation of familiarity, quality and purchase consideration. Additionally, Hallmark is the Most Loved and Most Trusted Greeting Card brand measured in the study.

For more information, visit hallmark.com.

CRAZY FOR SPINNERS

The “spinners craze” has taken retail shelves by storm, and Portland, Ore.-based Zing has upped the game with stackable fidgit toys called Spinzipz. The Zing Spinzipz features two motion-sensitive LED lights for glow effects. Consumers can spin a single-blade Spinzipz individually, or use the special stacking SpinPin to spin more than one simultaneously.

“Since we’re a small company, we were nimble enough to ramp up production to meet the quick retail demand,” says Josh Loerzel, Zing vice president of sales and marketing. “This is all happening organically, at lightning fast speed.”