NEW OWNER FOR BAIN DE SOLEIL
By Adnews Staff
U.S.-based Pfizer Inc. has bought the Bain de Soleil skin-care line from Procter & Gamble Co. Herdt & Charton of Montreal will continue to distribute the product in Canada, but now under licence from Pfizer. Herdt has only been using in-store rebate coupons created by Actmedia of Toronto to promote the products this year. When it does advertise, the distributor uses Montreal agency PLANS. Pfizer has spent about $200 million(US) buying consumer products in the past year and is looking for more acquisitions. The company's consumer sales last year were $409 million, about 5% of a total $8.3 billion. Pfizer plans on building its consumer business by making targeted acquistions such as single product lines or smaller companies that fit the pharmaceutical company's health care focus. Consumer brands include Visine eye drops, Plax dental rinse and Unisom sleeping pills.