As mass retailers realize the power of teen spending, categories such as hair accessories have become more prominent store shelves and on cosmetics counter displays. Specialty stores typically have lured teens into stores by stocking trendy hair clips and claws, and in the past few years mass has jumped in. By creating teen-specific areas that merchandise hair accessories, mass retailers such as Target are making teens feel like they are being catered to.

Rite Aid merchandises clip strips of hair accessories throughout hair care aisles, and creates endcaps displaying in-and-out product that meets the need of trends. Duane Reade and Value Drugs are meeting teen needs by focusing on what’s hot right now: iridescent clips, multicolored claws clips, woven pony tail holders and beaded headbands. Grocery chains also are capitalizing on the combination of the impulse-driven category and their high-frequency consumers.

Retailers’ strategies seem to be working, as hair accessories sales have increased in the food, drug and mass channels. For the 52-week period ended July 18, sales of hair accessories climbed approximately 6 percent to $741.9 million, according Information Resources Inc.

While all three mass channels have seen growth, food took the lead in sales increases for the 52-week period. The channel recorded a 7.6 percent increase compared to the drug channel’s growth of 3.6 percent and mass merchandisers’ growth of 6.8 percent. One reason for growth, said a grocery retailer, is that space allocated to hair accessories has grown over the past few years.

Food channel increases its sophistication

Helen of Troy has made an effort to penetrate the grocery channel this year. Cecelia Canale, vice president of marketing for Helen of Troy, said business with food retailers is really just beginning. “As the food combo becomes more sophisticated, the one-stop shopping experience is becoming easier for the shopper. [Hair accessories] is almost an untouched area. We really are just beginning business with them,” said Canale. Food retailers beginning to make the plunge into hair accessories include Grand Union, SuperValu, Cub Foods, Furr’s and Brookshire, according to Canale.