Walgreens talks nonfood award-winners at PLMA Global
At its four-day PLMA Global online event, the Private Label Manufacturers Association continued speaking with some of its 2021 Salute to Excellence Award Winners about their own brand products that earned the honors.
On Thursday, PLMA spoke with Andrea Collaro, senior director of owned brands at Walgreens, as the retailer won four awards for its products last year. Walgreens’ 2021 Salute to Excellence Winners include: Walgreens Sun Moisturizing Lotion SPF30; Walgreens Pulse Oximeter + Respiratory Rate Monitor; Infinitive USB A to USB C Braided Cable 9 ft.; and Wexford 30ct Gel Pens.
PLMA Salute to Excellence Award Winners can be found here.
Walgreens’ four awards all came for nonfood products, as the pharmacy retailer has expanded its own brand portfolio to make itself more of a ‘one stop shop.’ Walgreens Sun Moisturizing Lotion SPF30 won the Salute to Excellence Award in the sun care & toiletries category.
“In addition to offering your typical spray sunscreens you would use at the beach, we have further expanded our range to include sunscreens specifically for your face that are going to support anti-aging and dark spots,” said Collaro. “These types of products are going to continue to help solidify our position in the market as a serious skin health destination.”
When designing the packaging for the own brand sunscreen, Collaro said that certain attributes are key to grabbing the attention of customers.
“Key callouts we generally make on these products include hydrating, hypoallergenic, oxybenzone-free, paraben-free…” said Collaro. “Some of our items this year are also going to have a ‘does not leave a white cast’ callout, which is really targeted towards our consumers with darker skin tones who have traditionally struggled with standard sunscreens’ failure to blend in properly."
In the home healthcare category, the Walgreens Pulse Oximeter + Respiratory Rate Monitor was honored alongside Walmart’s ReliOn Analog Insulin in a tie.
“The product is a non-invasive way to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood, and it shows whether the heart and lungs are supplying enough blood to meet the body’s demands,” said Collaro of the product which offers two important medical features in one. “The base pulse oximeter measures both oxygen saturation and pulse, while the new unit measures oxygen saturation, pulse and respiratory rate. That respiratory rate measures ventilation. It was a cool addition to the product during Covid because it really helped consumers detect if their respiratory rate was in the normal range or if it was deteriorating. It was a very helpful tool for our consumers.”
For more on PLMA Global, visit PLMAGlobal.com.