Often, after we print an article in BRANDPACKAGING, we receive added information on a trend we’ve identified. Here is more on a recent trend.

One strategy that can widen a brand’s appeal in distribution is packaging that appeals to different retail formats. Currently, one of the fastest-growing channels is dollar stores, a topic we explored in our January 2004 issue.

Dollar stores represent one rapidly maturing but often overlooked channel, and marketers should take a closer look at them.

Pactiv Corp., Lake Forest, Ill., has designed a package that should be a welcome addition to the grab-and-go environment of dollar stores.

Its Hefty HandySaks are 4-gallon plastic bags that rest in pocketsize, recloseable packs for “101 On The Go” uses. The bags dispense individually for use in situations from car trash cleanup to muddy soccer shoes to soiled diapers and pet messes.

They can also function as a tote bag for books and on shopping trips.

Ten bags come in a flexible-film pack that measures 33/4 inches by 5 inches. These packs offer a number of marketing pluses:

- They fit easily in pockets or purses.
-They reflect the dollar-store price point. Dollar stores want packaging and product unit sizes that help them own both convenience and price.
- Finally, the packs are “peggable” and their small size allows the stocking of many units—an economy of space on the store shelf.

Pactiv also markets the HandySaks bags in four-count multi-packs.