Conference Presentations In Brief

Prestige seeks innovations for focus brands: Rather than wait for the next Allergen Block to come from an entrepreneurial inventor, Prestige Brands shifts to an active approach to finding breakthrough innovations. At the William Blair & Co. Growth Stock Conference June 9 in Chicago, Prestige CEO Mark Pettie explained the firm is moving away from depending on ideas from "opportunistic sources," and instead is building "standing relationships with technology houses with specific purposes." The firm then will apply the innovations to its focus products, including Chloraseptic treatment for sore throat, Little Remedies and Clear Eyes. Pettie referred to Allergen Block, a drug-free nasal gel, as the paradigm of a "fully differentiated technology" compared to other products in its segment. Irvington, N.Y.-based Prestige additionally is driving growth by prioritizing its focus brands, penetrating further into the Canadian market and shifting toward a direct-selling model with its retail customers (1"The Tan Sheet" March 16, 2009, p. 9). Pettie added the company soon will begin weighing possible business moves following a "self-imposed moratorium" on mergers and acquisitions