Numark's "Numark, baby and you" initiative was showing some success in claiming back a declining market share in baby products from grocery multiples, Mr Andy Carter (Numark's category controller for over-the-counter medicines) told the conference on October 13.
The initiative had been launched on September 1 in the light of market analysis which had shown that baby sales through independent pharmacies had fallen by over 21 per cent at the same time as the total market had grown by 4 per cent.
Elements of the initiative, which had already been taken up by over 270 Numark pharmacies, were point-of-sale material, planograms, staff training, exclusive promotions and a loyalty card package.
The loyalty card, for example, offered customers a free pack of Pampers nappies for every 12 packs purchased at a participating store.
Mr Carter said: "We have had strong coverage in the trade press and early indicators show that sales are up by as much as 35 per cent in the first month of the scheme." One participating pharmacy had reported that sales of Pampers had grown dramatically.