Chattem sales top $1 billion

photo Chattem, Inc., CEO Zan Guerry, right, holds a bottle of Rolaids as he is photographed with Blair Ramey, senior vice president of corporate development and media, executive vice president Robert Long and executive vice president John Stroud in the company's corporate office building in St. Elmo.
photo Demetrius Brown works on the production line at the Chattem manufacturing facility on South Broad Street.

PRODUCT PIPELINEAmong Chattem's recent or planned key products:RolaidsAllegra anti-itch cremeACT dry mouth lozengesBalmex adult rash cremeGold Bond men's lotionGold Bond spray powderGold Bond diabetic lotionIcy Hot advanced therapySource: Chattem

Three years ago, Chattanooga-based Chattem was churning out eight to 10 new products and line extensions annually.

Today, 12 to 15 entries are brought to the market each year, and that's helping push Chattem revenues to new highs.

For the first time in the company's 134-year history, Chattem's annual retail sales have topped the $1 billion mark, said chief executive Zan Guerry about the business that makes over-the-counter medicines such as Allegra, Gold Bond and Icy Hot.

That figure is up 7 percent from a year ago. In an interview at the company's St. Elmo headquarters, Guerry said Chattem has begun working on its newest product acquisition, Rolaids, to add even more sales.

Chattem, the U.S. consumer health care arm of French drug-making giant Sanofi, announced last week it plans to breathe new life into antacid Rolaids. The stomach med was pulled from shelves by former owner McNeil shortly after two 2010 recalls involving manufacturing problems.

Guerry said that later this year, Rolaids should hit stores with new packaging and advertising that's "a little more modern."

"It won't be your grandmother's Rolaids so to speak," he said.

Chattem officials said Rolaids will go head-to-head with Tums, which they said is a $200 million-a-year brand.

"Tums is more about flavor. [Rolaids] is more about relief," said Guerry. "We're not over-confident but optimistic it will get a good reception."

John Stroud, a Chattem executive vice president, said retailers are looking for more product rollouts to bring people into their stores.

Rolaids will "bring new people back to the category," he said.

Plans are to use a third-party maker for Rolaids outside Chattanooga in the immediate term. But there are opportunities to add new packaging in Chattanooga and more personnel to the 650 people the company employs.

"Anything we can do in Chattanooga, we do," Guerry said.

Chattem rolled out Allegra as a nonprescription allergy product a couple of years ago, and it has started producing the liquid suspension version of the medicine in the city.

Robert Long, Chattem's chief financial officer, said Chattem packages as much of its products as possible in Chattanooga, and it does all the transportation out of the city.

"We are hiring in the sales and marketing area," he said, adding the company has hired more than 125 people in the past three years and invested about $35 million.

Officials said Allegra sales have surpassed $300 million annually.

"It's one of the top 10 over-the-counter brands in America," Guerry said.

Chattem is introducing an Allegra anti-itch creme as an extension of its flagship product as it challenges market leader Claritin.

Guerry said Sanofi's top brass, including CEO Chris Viehbacher and Global Operations President Hanspeter Spek, are "very supportive and helpful" of Chattem's efforts to grow. Sanofi purchased Chattem almost three years ago for $1.9 billion in cash.

Guerry said Chattem could have made two or three acquisitions in the past year, but it's disciplined in its approach.

"They'd have us be at one-and-a-half billion [dollars]," the CEO said. "They've trusted us to do the right thing."

Blair Ramey, Chattem's senior vice president of corporate development and media, said Chattem evaluated 32 potential product acquisitions last year and closed on just the Rolaids deal.

He said Chattem applies robust screening, though he added that it's "actively listening. We're in the market."

Guerry said Chattem's other top brands are showing growth as well.

"We have five $100 million-plus brands," he said. "All of our top products are up over a year ago."

Guerry, 63, said he's still enjoying running the company, which he has headed since 1990 when he succeeded his father, Alex.

He said there's the "reality of the clock," but that Chattem is a fun business.

"We have a good team," he said. "Our team of talented people is exploding."

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