Magazine: Gel beats powder

Bernadett Vékásy
brand manager
Henkel Magyarország

Bernadett Vékásy, brand manager of Henkel Magyarország Kft. informed our magazine that in 2018 laundry detergent volume sales had grown a little, but the increase in value sales had been more significant. It is still the gel segment that dominates, while washing powder sales are decreasing.

Tímea Kuk
junior brand manager
Unilever Magyarország

Tímea Kuk, junior brand manager of Unilever Magyarország Kft. – the distributor of Surf laundry detergents – agreed with this and added that laundry detergent capsule sales are growing dynamically, and that they already have the same market share as the powder format.

Gábor Sélley
sales director
FCB Hungary

Gábor Sélley, sales director of FCB Hungary Zrt. told our magazine that sales of Frosch stain remover products had increased the most. As for their Heitmann brand, washing additives and colour catchers produced the biggest sales growth. Ádám Lukács, managing director of monsun Kft. also shared good news about the market performance of the company’s Souldrops brand, underlining that in their case export sales made a huge contribution to this.

Szilvia Madari
managing director
Flyfit

We learned from Szilvia Madari, managing director of Flyfit Kft. that in promotional periods shoppers like to try other or new laundry detergent products. Shoppers are very loyal to brands, especially in the eco category. Mr Sélley opines that laundry detergents sell the best in drugstores. The company specialises in environmentally friendly products – for shoppers who prefer these, product price isn’t the No.1 decision-making factor when buying. Mr Lukács said to Trade magazin that sales are very much influenced by in-store promotions, and even more so by how busy the spot is where the given product is displayed in the shop.

Ms Kuk reckons that hypermarkets constitute the most important sales channel in the category, but they are losing importance from year to year. Her company has measured the fastest sales growth in drugstores and discount supermarkets. She revealed that 2/3 of the category’s volume sales are realised in promotion. Ms Vékásy added that medium-sized products, those offering 40-49 washes are the most popular. However, the sales increase has been the biggest in the segment of large-sized, 90-99 wash laundry detergents.

In 2019 monsun Kft. plans to surprise shoppers with more green solutions. The new variant is expected to be similar to the present one, but raw material-wise it will be as much recycled as possible. Last year gel and capsule products were the most popular from Henkel Magyarország Kft.’s laundry detergents. In 2019 they will come out with trendsetter products. Besides improving the current portfolio, they will also launch a new product in the convenience segment. From Unilever Magyarország Kft.’s Surf laundry detergents gels are the most popular. Color products are the best-sellers, with the most important variant being Tropical Lily & Ylang ylang. The company is going to put new scents on the market in 2019. What is more, a new eco brand, Seventh Generation washing and cleaning products will also appear in shops this year. These are made from plant-based components instead of crude oil-derived components, plus the packaging will be 100-percent recycled plastic.

Flyfit Kft.’s Winnis eco laundry detergents sell the best in the Eco Pack format. Not only because of the good prices, but also because buyers care about how much waste they produce. Eco Pack products are made using 70 percent less plastic. FCB Hungary Zrt.’s experience is that large product size isn’t characteristic of eco laundry detergents, manufacturers want to achieve higher wash numbers by modifying the composition of products. //