Flu season gives sales of germ fighters a big boost
Shoppers are scooping up everything from hand sanitizer to disinfecting spray along with cough syrup and other cold remedies.
Reckitt Benckiser (RBGLY), Clorox (CLX) and GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, may win big as the U.S. faces its worst flu season in years. Reckitt Benckiser, a U.K. conglomerate, has amassed a formidable array of over-the-counter remedies over the past few years, including Mucinex, Cepacol and Delsym, an investment in a $6.5 billion market that Advertising Age says is paying off. The company has gained market share at the expense of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), maker of Tylenol, which has been hurt by bad publicity stemming from numerous product recalls and federal investigations.
The company says its cough and cold sales totaled just under $100 million for the month ended Dec. 22, a 22% increase from a year earlier.
Reckitt also owns Lysol cleaners, which is surging in popularity. Sales of Lysol disinfectants have risen 17% while liquid-cleaner sales jumped 24% in the four weeks ended Dec. 22, according to Advertising Age, citing Nielsen data. Reckitt's diverse product lineup also includes Dr. Scholl's foot care products, French's mustard and Durex, the world's top-selling condom brand.
Clorox, the largest bleach maker, has seen gains of 12% in disinfectant sales and a 27% increase in wipe sales in the latest 12 weeks for which data is available, the publication says. The company is heavily emphasizing how its product can prevent the spread of germs. Neither company was immediately available for comment.
Closely held GOJO Industries has seen a spike in demand for Purell, the top selling hand sanitizer.
"GOJO anticipates increased demand during winter germ season and adjusts production accordingly as part of our planning process," writes Samantha Williams, a company spokeswoman, in an email, declining to be more specific.
--Jonathan Berr is fighting a nasty bug that his flu shot didn't anticipate. He doesn't own shares of the listed stocks. Follow him on Twitter @jdberr.
More on Money Now
| Tags: | AdvertisingHealth care |
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
RECENT POSTS
Tired of constantly dying batteries, she came up with a device that could revolutionize energy storage -- and won $50,000 from Intel.
- Detroit in hot water over proposal to sell art
- Sears spirals toward oblivion
- Why aren't heads rolling at the IRS?
- Do we pay attention to roads and bridges now?
- Yahoo may be going after Hulu
- Apple's first computer could fetch $450,000
- AT&T adds sneaky fee onto its wireless bills
- Soaring ER use adds more pain to health costs
- Netflix gets 'Arrested Development' stars cheap
MARKET UPDATE
[BRIEFING.COM] Stocks entered the weekend on a mixed note as the S&P 500 shed 0.1% while the Dow ended with a gain of 0.1%.
The major averages began the day on a lower note as nine of ten sectors saw losses of more than 0.5%.
The consumer staples sector was the lone exception as the group spent the entire day in positive territory thanks to the relative strength of Dow component Procter & Gamble (PG 81.89, +3.19). The second-largest staple stock advanced ... More
More Market News
TOP STOCKS
Try as the bears might, they couldn't break U.S. stocks. But investors still face frothy prices and considerable headwinds.
MSN MONEY'S
- Shared
- Commented
- Viewed
