Variations on gentle washing

Contradictory trends have been experienced in the biggest chemical category – that of washing products. On 5 August Nielsen published a communication about detergent sales declining by 9 percent in value in the first six months. Manufacturers came out with many novelties in the first half of the year, in order to boost the sales of premium detergents. Persil started using the ColdActive technology with liquid detergents too. In July Henkel introduced Persil Fresh Pearls by Silan, which uses encapsulation technology. Ariel introduced Active Gel capsules – lucky buyers of which won a Mini Cooper Cabrio. Procter&Gamble developed the product for modern women, guaranteeing maximum efficiency with minimum time and energy usage. Henkel expanded its Tomi washing gel family with two limited edition scents: Lótusz & Zafír and Orchidea & Ametiszt represent affordable luxury and can be bought for a limited period of time.

The rinse market seems to regain breath after the fall generated by economic recession. In terms of value the category produced a 3-percent growth in the first six months, in comparison with the same period a year earlier. Zsolt Karancsi, Procter&Gamble’s corporate relations manager told us that Lenor was one of the market leaders in Hungary. Lenor Parfumelle was introduced in 2009 and it was the first rinse developed in cooperation with French scent experts. Lenor recently introduced its new formula in Spring, Summer, Tropical and Sensitive versions. Viktória Kürti, DunaPro Zrt.’s product manager told Trade magazin that bleaches and stain removers lost a part of their market, but their market shares did not change. Better quality products are still more popular than cheaper ones.

However, consumers would like to lay their hands on these quality products at promotional prices. This is the reason why the company uses quality POS materials and chain-specific promotion campaigns with Clorox. In the summer they did a campaign in METRO stores with Indesit. 1-litre Clorox normal’s label will change in the autumn, reflecting the fact this product is not only used for whitening purposes, but also for cleaning their homes.

Among washing additives only laundry sheets managed to grow in the past few years, thanks to the conquest of Spotless Színfogó. Nóra Tremmel, Spotless Hungary’s marketing and sales director informed us that despite the appearance of private label products Spotless Színfogó sheet is the market leader by far. By using this product, clothes do not have to be separated according to colour, they can be washed together. A free sample can be ordered via www.szinfogo.hu. This year more than 60,000 people used this opportunity in the first six months.