Shop Talk
Retailers, consumers and prices
Pampers to create designer diapers
Following a trend made popular by teen shops H&M and Forever21, a Procter & Gamble brand is making the leap to disposable fashion.
Literally.
Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley will create a line of Pampers diapers for Target that will include madras, stripes and ruffles, P&G said Wednesday. The collection “delivers the perfect blend of utility and aesthetics,” according to the company.
“It’s the first piece of clothing your baby will ever wear, and it should be special,” said Rowley, who designs clothing and accessories for several department stores and has appeared on “Project Runway.”
The new Pampers by Cynthia Rowley, available in 11 different styles, go on sale in mid-July.
Some parents like to frame their children’s smock dresses or save their first pair of shoes. Wonder what they’ll do with baby’s first … well, maybe we’d rather not know.
Check Out Line: Taylor Swift — the new face of Covergirl
Check out country music star Taylor Swift becoming the newest Covergirl.
The songstress, known for her blond ringlets and girl-next-door charm, has been busy collecting armfuls of accolades. In February, the 20-year-old won four Grammys and was the youngest artist ever to take home the coveted prize for album of the year. In November, she won four awards from the Country Music Association, which named her entertainer of the year.
Last month, Swift got a mention in People magazine’s “World’s Most Beautiful People” special issue.
Now Swift joins Queen Latifah, Ellen DeGeneres, Rihanna and Drew Barrymore as a spokeswoman for the mass market cosmetic brand owned by Procter & Gamble.
“It’s like a dream come true,” said the 20-year-old in a statement, noting that she has admired many of the brand’s earlier spokeswomen since she was “a little girl”.
Since the brand’s introduction in 1961, its Covergirls have included Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Rachel Hunter, Tyra Banks, Niki Taylor and Molly Sims.
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Check Out Line: P&G shows its sustainable side
Check out Procter & Gamble’s environmental and social efforts.
P&G was added to the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable corporations in 2009. On Monday, the household products powerhouse released its latest sustainability report, “Designed to Matter.”
The report comes seven months after P&G raised its 2012 sustainability goals. P&G said that since 2002 it has cut water consumption by 52 percent, energy usage by 48 percent, carbon dioxide emissions by 52 percent and waste disposal by 53 percent in its operations.
The company has been making concentrated Tide detergent (shown here), for a few years. Industry watchers may recall that Wal-Mart pushed detergent makers to cut back on the use of water and plastic packaging. The smaller, lighter bottles also require less fuel to ship.
Through social responsibility programs, P&G has undertaken projects such as delivering millions of liters of clean drinking water to children in need. P&G said that $13.1 billion in sales since 2007 have come from products with a significantly lower environmental impact.
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Check Out Line: Make a mess, would ya?
Check out the world’s biggest advertiser’s latest marketing plan.
Procter & Gamble’s Bounty paper towel brand is sponsoring a new art studio, called Make-A-Messterpiece. The space, which Reuters readers learned about on Tuesday, gives parents an outlet for kids to express their artistic creativity without damaging the furniture, floors and walls in their own homes.
The facility, in the Chicago area at The Glen shopping area in Glenview, Illinois, charges an $8 fee per child to use the studio, while classes and some activities, such as using drumsticks to splash paint while drumming, carry additional fees of $10 to $18. Low-income families may be able to visit on special days sponsored by Bounty. Parents enter for free and can relax in a lounge coffee-shop type space while they watch their kids.
Under the sponsorship, the Bounty logo is emblazoned across various spots in the 15,000 square foot space, the paper towels are used at Bounty Clean Up stations and a sign thanking several P&G “friends” hangs near the entrance. Kids can also do a project where they see how paint is absorbed by a Bounty paper towel, or count how many billiard balls one of the towels can hold.
The opening comes as schools across the country consider cutting back on arts education in order to rein in costs. In a survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators earlier this year, 65 percent of administrators called art education supplies a low priority and many expected art teaching positions would be cut.
The retail area does not sell Bounty towels or any other P&G products. We saw plenty of art supplies (like these smocks) and funky home goods for families.
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Check Out Line: Home Depot’s less bad news
Check out how less bad is the new good.
The latest example of this new reality is Home Depot’s revised profit outlook.
The world’s biggest home improvement retailer said this year’s earnings from continuing operations could be flat to down 7 percent. That compares with its earlier call for a fall of 7 percent.
Home Depot Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a meeting with analysts that economic indicators are signaling that the worst of the housing downturn is over.
Home Depot still expects sales to fall by about 9 percent this year, with sales at stores open at least a year down in a high-single-digit percentage range. It expects gross margins to be flat to slightly higher.
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