Retailers prep for aging Baby Boomers

Walgreens and other retailers are planning makeovers to
accommodate aging Baby Boomers.

Walgreens is one of a growing number of stores that is getting ready for the Baby Boom.

We're not talking diapers here (OK, maybe we are in the adult variety) ... we're talking about how the drug store chain and other retailers are changing their aisles, racks and displays for the aging Baby Boomers who, as they age, won't be as nimble as they used to be.

A Wall Street Journal article cites statistics that show that Baby Boomers, who start turning  65 years old beginning in 2011, are expected to spend an additional $50 billion over the next decade on consumer products in the U.S

Because of their physical limitations and their need for health-related products, "there will be dramatic shifts in what they buy and where they shop," Sean Seitzinger, senior vice president of consulting and innovation for market-research firm Information Resources Inc., told the Journal.

They'll want products that are easy to read, easier to find and easier to get off the shelves.

According to the Journal:

• Walgreens plans to install call buttons near heavy merchandise like bottled water and laundry detergent in some stores;
• It will put magnifying glasses on store shelves and make its aisle signs clearer;
• Rite Aid is revising its private-label goods with bigger typefaces on packaging;
• Family Dollar is weighing new lighting and shelf labels.

This is part of a growing trend to accommodate products for the Baby Boomers that is not only massive in terms of its population (78 million people) but massive in terms of its buying power.

Appliances too are being re-engineered for aging Baby Boomers.

As is housing.