It’s not news that consumers are spending more for lots of things they use in their daily lives. Higher raw material costs have jacked up the price for food, toilet paper, milk and tons of other everyday products.

But just to lay the future out in one place, here is the laundry list of upcoming U.S. price increases Procter & Gamble Chief Financial Officer Clayton Daley gave during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday:
    
    — a 4 to 8 percent increase on coffee, effective this month;
    — a 9 percent increase on fabric softeners, effective this month;
    — a 5 percent to 12 percent increase on Olay and Ivory Personal Cleansing products, effective in January;
    — a 5.5 percent increase on Bounty and Charmin paper products (effective in February);
    — a 5 percent to 8 percent increase on Pampers diapers (effective in February);
    — and a 3 percent to 5 percent increase on blades and razors (effective in February).
    
Of course, P&G isn’t the only company raising prices. Colgate, which also reported earnings  on Tuesday,  said it will raise prices on its Hill’s pet food business by 6 percent to 8 percent in the fourth quarter, due to rising ingredient costs.

And consumers are accepting the price increases without much push back, P&G CEO A.G. Lafley said, noting that lower-priced store brands, or “private-label” products, are losing market share instead of attracting price-shocked consumers.

“We’re taking increases on brands and product lines that in most cases deliver superior performance and quality. So we will see, but they are in line with the kind of increases we have taken in similar circumstances before. And we’re not talking about high out-of-pocket costs or high out-of-pocket prices for consumers here. And we’re talking about staple items,” Lafley said.

(Photo: P&G Web site)

If you’re planning to buy a new appliance, think twice about getting that extended warranty.

That’s the advice from J.D. Power and Associates, which released a study today that concluded that the high reliability of appliances may reduce the need for such warranties.

The J.D. Power study, based on more than 22,000 responses from consumers who bought appliances, found that one in 10 customers reported a problem with their appliances during the first two years of ownership.

Many of the problems could be resolved by consulting an owner’s manual or a manufacturer’s Web site, with relatively few requiring a service visit, the firm added.

“Major appliances tend to be very reliable, and consumers should consider very carefully — depending upon their circumstances — whether an extended warranty is worth the additional cost,” said Dale Haines, senior director of J.D. Power’s real estate and construction industries practice.

The survey, which tracked satisfaction with laundry and kitchen appliances, found that appliances from Germany’s Bosch, General Electric, Whirlpool (whose Duet washing machine is pictured), and South Korea’s LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics scored highest in various segments.

(Photo: Whirlpool)

Gladiator GarageWorks, a unit of Whirlpool that makes garage appliances and storage systems, is launching a Web site that sounds like it comes straight out of a Maxim magazine or a beer commercial — Mancrib.com.

Mancrib.com is a “man registering” Web site aimed at “guy’s guys who were previously left out in the cold when it came to gift registries and giving.”

Men can log on to the site and make a list of the “manly” gifts they really want, like work benches, high-def televisions, tools or grills.

Whirlpool and Gladiator GarageWorks aren’t the only one featuring their products on the site. There are also Panasonic flat screens and camcorders; KitchenAid mixers, espresso machines and grills; Channellock tools; Steiner Sports sports memorabilia; and Crocs shoes.

But the site, while positioning itself as a “guy’s guy” kind of place, is not the only one out there where men can make wish-lists. Amazon.com offers wish lists, as do many retailers, like Home Depot and Target.

And shoppers cannot actually buy their man a gift on Mancrib.com. Instead, they are directed to the individual brands’ Web sites — like panasonic.com or kitchenaid.com — to complete a purchase.

Whirlpool and Gladiator have high hopes for the site.

Audrey Reed-Granger, a Mancrib.com spokeswoman, said the site is not planning to advertise, but instead expects its popularity will spread by word of mouth.

(Picture credit: Reuters)

Check Out overseas demand for toothpaste, toilet paper and diapers boosting quarterly results at household product makers Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive.

Profit at P&G — maker of Gillette razors, Charmin toilet paper and Pampers diapers — rose 14 percent, while Colgate – which makes Colgate toothpaste, Mennen deodorant and Hill’s Science Diet pet food – posted a 22 percent gain in its third-quarter results.

The reports come as analysts are watching for signs that high oil prices could crimp future results.

P&G said its gross margins are expected to be “temporarily lower” in the current quarter due in part to higher commodity and energy costs. But, it said that gross margins should recover in the second half of the fiscal year due to pricing and increased cost savings from restructuring projects. 

At Colgate, its quarterly gross profit margin, excluding restructuring charges, increased to 57.3 percent from 56.5 percent. It said gross profit margin, excluding restructuring charges, should “be up within our targeted range of 75 to 125 basis points for this year and next year as well.”

Also in the basket:

Liz Claiborne 3rd-qtr profit falls

Avon third-quarter profit higher on better sales

Jarden 3rd-quarter profit tops forecasts

Pernod Q1 sales beat forecast, shares climb

(Photo: Reuters)

LG Electronics is launching a new U.S. print and television advertising campaign today that will encourage consumers to replace their appliances before they break down.

The two-month, $20 million initial phase of the marketing effort will debut tonight on the ABC network’s “Dancing with the Stars” program.

“It will turn out for us to be the most comprehensive campaign behind appliances to date,” John Weinstock, vice president of digital appliance marketing for the South Korean company’s U.S. arm, told Reuters. “We expect it to run into next year as well.”

In one TV spot (shown), a woman pushes an old washing machine off a diving board in order to make room for a new LG washer. The ads were developed with Young & Rubicam’s Brandbuzz.

LG has scored gains since introducing its high-tech appliances to the U.S. market about five years ago. For instance, it captured the top U.S. market share position in front-loading washing machines during the second quarter, based on dollar values, according to third-party data.

“We are growing in the high-double-digits during a time when the industry is showing some declines,” Weinstock said.

(Photo: LG Electronics)

Check Out RadioShack reporting a third-quarter profit compared with a loss a year ago, as the struggling consumer electronics retailer cut expenses and improved margins. 

But sales fell as RadioShack continues to face intense competition from retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City. Sales at its stores open at least a year, a key measure of retail performance, dropped 8.6 percent.

RadioShack has been closing unprofitable stores and reducing staff since Julian Day, a turnaround veteran, became chief executive last year.

But Day is trying to turn around a business that is searching for a niche in the midst of a cut-throat business enviroment. Consumer electronics retailers are now headed into the crucial holiday selling season having barely recovered from last year, when retailers hurt their own profits by slashing prices on flat-panel TVs to win sales.

Luckily, analysts expect the competitive environment, at least when it comes to TVs, to be a little bit more sane this year.

Also in the basket:

Office Depot delays results due to review

Kellogg third-quarter earnings rise

Retailers Are on Edge About Holiday Season (WWD)

Coke finally scores another winner (USA Today)

(Photo: RadioShack’s Web site)

What’s the first thing shoppers will see when they walk into the new Best Buy store that is opening today on Manhattan’s Upper West Side? Handbags.

Designed by Liz Claiborne, the bags, which are meant to carry laptops, are part of Best Buy’s strategy to reach out to female shoppers to lure them into its stores or keep them engaged while they are there.

The Liz line includes laptop bags, totes and accessories, like leopard print cell phone covers and metallic MP3 holders.

But Best Buy’s not just using Liz to lure ladies.

For shoppers obsessed with coordination, the store has a table displaying a red Sony Vaio laptop, a red Nikon digital camera, a red Liz Claiborne handbag and a leopard print fold-over cell phone cover with red trim.

“No one has ever seen a Best Buy like this,” said Tom Davis, the store’s general manager, adding that it is geared toward the female shopper.

One other twist at the Upper West Side store? A full-sized kitchen displaying high-end appliances. While this mock-up may be common in Best Buy’s suburban stores,  it isn’t typically seen in its other Manhattan stores because of space issues.

But in an attempt to appeal to the local demographic, which includes many families and lots of female shoppers, the 3-level store – its largest in New York City – is selling a wide range of appliances, like a convection oven for almost $3,500 or an electric cooktop for $1,029.

One feature sure to draw attention from all of its shoppers? Its high-end Magnolia home theatre experience room – which can help shoppers decide if they should buy that 65-inch flat panel TV or splurge on that 71-inch flat panel TV.

(Photos: Best Buy)

Check out Fortune Brands’ rising profit.

Housing market got you down? Buy a lot of Countrywide stock at $45 earlier this year? Do you play for the Colorado Rockies? Are you Stan O’Neal?

Well, you might need a drink.

At least that’s what has been working for Fortune Brands.
 
The company that makes everything from Moen faucets to Omega cabinets has seen that business hurt by the plummeting U.S. housing market. But Fortune also makes Maker’s Mark bourbon, Sauza tequila and Clos du Bois wines and that business segment has been doing well.
 
“We’re benefiting from higher pricing on certain premium spirits brands, the favorable trend of consumers trading up to higher end brands, and further synergies from our acquisition of the Allied Domecq brands,” Norman Wesley, chairman and chief executive, said.
 
Profit from spirits and wine rose 5.1 percent in the quarter, while home and hardware profit fell 6.9 percent.
 
But, while spirits and wine are doing well, the company said it still expects full-year profit to fall.

One more for the road?
 
Also in the basket:
 
Macy’s in exclusive sportswear deal with Hilfiger (Reuters, WWD)
 
Wendy’s to update menu in effort to boost profits
 
Ahold Q3 sales up, shares fall on revamp worries
 
Wal-Mart to test market for online grocery sales (Financial Times)
 
TJX ruling gives banks a breakthrough (Wall Street Journal)

(Phote: Reuters)

Attention, shoppers — the mall is now open.

Ordinarily, the reopening of a suburban mall in California would not be significant. But when you’re the Westfield Group’s North County mall in Escondido, under mandatory evacuation while surrounded by wildfires for nearly three days, reopening means a first step in getting back to normal.

“We had clean air inside and the air conditioning was working,” said Michele Predko, Westfield’s regional marketing director for the San Diego area. “I think it has offered a way for people to get out … and have a little bit of a sense of normalcy.”

Two other Southern California Westfield malls never closed this week but were used as staging areas for emergency services — one held animals from a nearby petting zoo in its parking lots, another took in horses.

Still, most stores at the North County Mall are still shuttered, not due to safety concerns but because staff can’t get to work.

But at Sears, an employee in the small appliance department said things were picking up.

“Lots of people are coming in,” she said. “I see quite a few firemen, I see people like some of the evacuees who need underwear. I’m getting traffic.”

Apparently, the Playtex ad campaign that Hanesbrands Inc launched on September 3, was a big hit. More than 4.3 million views were recorded for *this* video.

But it looks like only this video was a good fit. Even though company officials touted it as having one of the highest 24-hour view rates on YouTube, the company, sadly, reported dismal sales of its innerwear in the third quarter. Hanesbrands, known for its Playtex, Bali and Wonderbra brands, said the ad was intended to address everyday bra fitting challenges for women.

But its not an easy business, folks. We already told you so.

(Video: YouTube)