Schering-Plough Builds Exclusive 'Hut' in Albertsons

Kenilworth, NJ -- Collaboration and cooperation has paid off for Schering-Plough, producer of Coppertone sunscreen. With input from Albertsons, other beach-gear producers and even a class of art students, the company has generated a tiki-themed, "store-within-a-store" display providing customers with a selection of beach needs at the entrances of Albertsons nationwide.It took some convincing to sell John Pender, director of visual merchandise at Schering-Plough, on the tiki-themed display. Pender, who taught a display design class last September at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, was first presented with the tiki hut idea by his students in response to an assignment to create a Coppertone display."I didn't think it would work," he admits. "It seemed like something for Panama Jack or Tropical Sun, but not Coppertone."Weeks later, Pender discussed a possible Coppertone display with Jonathan Greenway, the category manager for sun care at Albertsons, who asked if Schering-Plough could provide an exclusive display that held not only sunscreen, but also sunglasses and possibly even water bottles -- and maybe in a tiki hut theme. "I just laughed and went out to my car, where I had the students' sketches. I guess Albertsons heard from its stores in high-traffic beach areas that the tiki theme was popular with kids," Pender says.In addition to taking Albertsons' input on everything from the concept of the display to the colors and design, Pender has given part of the display over to Personal Optics, a California-based sunglasses company that provides a power wing for its product for two sides of the display. Since April, 450 Albertsons stores have set up the display, each contractually obligated to place the tiki hut in the front of the store."We've done cross-merchandising before, but this display is a new collaborative effort for us," says David Carr, the vice president of sales at Personal Optics. "It's done very well [overall], and it's doing well for us. Our sell-through at Albertsons has increased since we began using the display."The display holds more than 300 units of Coppertone sunscreen, and each Personal Optics power wing holds 24 pairs of sunglasses. From the start, Pender was adamant that the tiki hut hide its supports and shelves. The solution, from creator Mechtronics in White Plains, NY, was styrene screenprinted with the bamboo pattern, then vacuum-formed and bent into shape over the plastic trays and uprights. The roof and bottom bin are corrugated cardboard, and the entire structure stands 79 inches tall, 31 inches wide and 20-1/2 inches deep. Coppertone's trademark sun-baked little girl with her dog and a surfboard are printed on vacuum-formed plastic on two sides of the hut, with an acrylic mirror above, another nod to the beach and a clever solution to the issue of working with multiple products."It looks fine alone, but that's also where Personal Optics' power wing attaches," Pender explains. "The bottom shelf can also fit flip-flops or whatever the store manager wants to feature. We're hearing that the managers were thrilled with it -- that it does so much in such a small footprint,"Pender says.

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