CATEGORY MANAGEMENT | HEALTH & BEAUTY
Supermarket health and beauty aisles are containing more diverse ranges of national and store brands.
A glamorous outlook for health and beauty merchandising Retailers can ignite category sales by attracting food shoppers to the aisle
BY RICHARD MITCHELL
SUPERMARKET HEALTH and beauty aisles are glowing. Category sales are on the upswing and grocers who enhance assortments and displays are in position to further boost shopper engagement, analysts said. “Consumer demand for health and beauty is almost insatiable,” said Enoch Minn, senior managing director at FTI Consult - ing Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based global advisory firm. “Health and beauty drives regular traffic into stores and the impor - tance of the category is increasing, which is partly driven by consumers’ willingness to shop the category wherever they can find efficacious, desirable products.” Unit sales of health-related products were up 1.1% for the 52 weeks ending Nov. 30, reports Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm. Categories with strong increases include weight control (up 15.5%), lip treatment (5.2%), vitamins (3.7%) and
baby needs (3.4%). Beauty unit sales grew 1.9% with strong increases for women’s fragrances (up 20.3%), hand and body lotion (7.5%), skin care (5.8%) and soap (3.4%). “Health and beauty selections are becom - ing more diverse as supermarkets work to own their rightful position as a ‘one stop shop,’” Minn said. “Channels are recogniz - ing that the health and beauty consumer is an attractive consumer to bring inside your four walls regularly.” In adding to merchandising “good-bet - ter-best sets,” retailers are investing in innovative items that include premium and private-label brands, he said. “Health and beauty drives regular traffic into stores and therefore is capturing increased share of the planogram,” Minn said. Active retailers include Tops Friendly Markets, a Williamsville, N.Y.-based chain of 151 grocery stores in New York,
Pennsylvania and Vermont, which is seeing greater consumer interest in self-care, pro - tein and nutrition selections, along with clean label items, said Kristin Goetz, Tops center store director. A WILLING CUSTOMER BASE “Shoppers are increasingly drawn to natural products, including aluminum-free deodor - ants and wellness-oriented personal care items,” she said. “These trends are creating greater visibility for the health and beauty aisles and driving measurable gains in both sales and volume.” Insights from vendor partners on national and regional trends, growth opportunities and new product innovations are enabling Tops to develop effective merchandising strategies, Goetz said. Stores are adjusting assortments, refreshing planograms, real - locating shelf space and situating trending items outside of the health and beauty aisles
34 SUPERMARKETNEWS.COM WINTER 2026
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