While Dutch electronics maker Philips has been producing men’s shave products for nearly 100 years, its desire to innovate—and even go against the grain—hasn’t dulled.

Its men’s grooming brand Philips Norelco last month debuted OneBlade Intimate, a unisex intimate shaver for pubic and underarm skin that is not only the brand’s first foray beyond men’s shave in the US, but also a rare unisex product in a category that’s been largely gendered in retail. The product is available on Amazon and at CVS and is set to launch at retailers including Target, Walgreens, and Walmart for $29.99.

The company was founded in 1891 and entered shave in the 1930s. A decade ago, it announced plans to split in two, with one company focused on healthcare tech and the other on lighting. The healthcare business has a sector powering tech in hospitals and a personal health segment with three more subsegments: oral healthcare (Sonicare toothbrushes), beauty and grooming (in the US, men’s shave under the Norelco brand) and a mother and child healthcare product maker (bottles, warmers, monitors, etc.) through the Avent brand.

• The North America region of its personal health business brought in about ~$1.2 billion in 2023, Philips reported.

Philips has a goal to improve the lives of 2.5 billion people by 2030, for Personal Health that is all about making it “easier and more accessible for people to stay healthy,” which includes skin health, Dana Medema, SVP of personal health North America at Philips, said.

Keep reading here.—EC

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As competition between Amazon, Shein, and Temu heats up, the e-commerce giants are fortifying their supplier networks across the globe.

The latest example of this came on Wednesday, with Shein’s announcement that it plans to invest $70 million into its third-party manufacturing suppliers over a five-year period. The company said the program is aimed at funding “facility enhancements, technology advancements, training and upskilling, and services for the community.”

• This includes training sessions on the latest garment technology, the launch of an innovation hub for researching best practices in manufacturing, and the opening of childcare centers for workers’ families.

Shein’s suppliers have long been a source of criticism, with some alleging that they have engaged in forced labor, unsafe working conditions, and using hazardous chemicals in products. But this recent investment comes as Shein faces competitive pressure from rivals both on its home turf and abroad.

Keep reading here.—AV

It’s fairly quiet on the earnings front this week, after Nvidia basically sucked all the air out of the room last week, so we’re starting off with 2024’s bonus day.

In promotions: On Thursday—aka Leap Day—Staples is offering deals via its newly revamped loyalty program, now known as “Easy Rewards.” Members will be able get 29x points on a number of products if they spend at least $29. To sweeten the pot, Staples is also giving out 29,000 passport photos for free—they typically cost $17.99.

• Introduced earlier this month, Easy Rewards is a point-based program that allows shoppers to earn points and redeem them for certain purchases.

Keep reading here.—KM