Dial
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Coast soap restaging will take place after production is brought in-house to Illinois plant in early summer, President and CEO Herbert Baum says during analyst call April 25. Dial plans to rejuvenate bar soap brand, acquired from Procter & Gamble last year, with line extensions including body washes and shower creams (1"The Rose Sheet" May 1, 2000, p. 3). Coast has not received marketing support in last five years, Baum says. Company remains in discussions with parties interested in purchasing Specialty Personal Care division, which recorded first quarter sales of $10.2 mil., down almost 59% from the year-ago period. Decision regarding future business plan continues on track; firm originally said it would release strategy by August. Personal Cleansing business was up 14.4% to $97.9 mil., reflecting "strong performance" of base business and March launch of Dial Complete, firm says. Net sales for quarter increased 7.6% to $401.5 mil., while net income fell 64.1% to $13.1 mil