Every sheet counts

Barbara Horváth
senior category manager
Essity Hungary

Barbara Horváth, senior category manager of Essity Hungary Kft. relies on NIQ data to inform us that the kitchen roll market ended 2024 with a 3.4% drop in value sales and a 2.6% decline in volume. Discounters continued their dominance among retail channels.

Viktória Pál
brand specialist
Vajda-Papír

“The inflationary environment affected even the indispensable, basic categories such as hygiene paper”,

adds Viktória Pál, brand specialist of Vajda-Papír Kft.

Gábor Vizur, category manager of Sofidel Hungary Kft. explains that the prices of raw materials are once again showing a slight increase, which could have an impact on the entire household hygiene market.

Paper – upgraded

Zewa’s household paper towels have performed well above the market average: value sales grew by more than 6% and volume sales were up nearly 11%..

Forgách Réka
brand manager
Essity Hungary

“We will further rationalise our portfolio in 2025. We are phasing out less popular products and introducing new ones that meet current needs, for example in terms of larger format or environmentally friendly composition”,

says Réka Forgách, brand manager of Essity Hungary Kft.

Zewa Wisch&Weg household paper towels contribute to more sustainable households in two ways: one sheet is so strong that it can be wetted and squeezed up to three times, reducing the amount of paper used by up to 33%, plus the sheets can be composted after use as long as the paper hasn’t been in contact with non-compostable materials.

Low sheet count products declined last year, giving the lead to larger pack sizes

Vajda-Papír’s Ooops! kitchen rolls currently have a 13.5% market share in value and 12.5% in volume. The company’s innovation work is driven by the principles of sustainability and responsible production, e.g. they use FSC®-certified pulp. Earlier this year Ooops! Maxi Duo 1000, which offers the well-known Maxi quality in a two-roll, 1,000-sheet version, was received very positively by shoppers. In spring the company is launching limited edition new innovations under the Ooops! Excellence sub-brand, designed with 2025 fashion trends and customer needs in mind.

Sponsored illustration

Strengthening presence and changing trends

Gábor Vizur
category manager
Sofidel Hungary

Sofidel Hungary Kft.’s Regina brand is on a growth path and is acquiring a bigger market share in both value and volume.

“Compared to the same period in 2023 we registered the second highest, 16% growth in volume on the market, while our value sales grew by 3.5%. We use FSC®-certified pulp to ensure that our products are produced from responsibly managed forests. Our paper towel packaging is currently made from 100% recycled material, and we use at least 30%-60% recycled plastic in our new products, reducing our ecological footprint”,

reports Gábor Vizur.

Fatime Bánkúti
marketing manager
Magyar Piszke Papír

Fatime Bánkúti, marketing manager of Magyar Piszke Papír Kft. informs that the biggest growth has occurred in the segment of Jumbo versions.

“In 2025 the most pressing challenge for the sector will continue to be the sharp rise in raw material prices, mainly due to global factors”,

she adds. 

Sándor Gödri
sales director
Metsä Tissue HU

According to Sándor Gödri, sales director of Metsa Tissue HU Kft., the single roll Jumbo format will keep gaining ground at the expense of 2- and 4-roll products. The 3-ply variant is showing a slight increase compared to 2-ply products. Even if shoppers are spending noticeably less, the share of private label products has reduced compared to branded products.

Dávid Fedor
marketing manager
Planet Line Hungary

“Consumers are becoming more and more conscious, prioritising value for money and long-lasting products”,

adds Dávid Fedor, marketing manager of PlanetLine.

New design, new functions

Magyar Piszke Papír Kft.’s own sales data for the B2C sector reveals that both the Jumbo and the traditional kitchen roll categories grew in value and volume in 2024. In 2019 the company launched the premium-quality Crepto toilet paper in a paper-box (free from plastic film), which contained maximum quantity of paper per unit volume. Since then two types of kitchen rolls, facial tissues and napkins have been added to the product selection. This way the company can offer customers a full range of tissue paper products with the lowest possible environmental impact.

Metsa Tissue Kft. is proud that Tento kitchen rolls realised a double-digit sales growth in every retail channel in 2024.

“Environmentally responsible production and a commitment to sustainability are a priority for the Metsa Tissue Group. Our cellulose raw materials are sourced from PEFC-certified forests. We have also earned the right to use the EU Ecolabel on our products, which certifies compliance with strict ecological standards. Both the packaging material of our products and the plastic films used in production and palletising are 100% recyclable”,

says Sándor Gödri.

Special solutions

PlanetLine products, including VIOLETA household paper towel Jumbo XXL and VIOLETA household paper towel ALL IN 1 MAXI, have achieved excellent sales results. This success is mainly due to the premium quality and the advantages of the large size. VIOLETA Love 3-roll paper towels are thicker, stronger and extra absorbent to cope with increased use. There is also a growing trend for paper towels designed for specific purposes. VIOLETA window glass surfaces household paper towel offers streak-free cleaning and effectively removes dirt from glass. This product is ideal not only for households but also for restaurants and catering establishments, where spotless cleanliness is a must.

The most pressing challenge for the sector in 2025 will continue to be a sharp rise in raw material prices, which are mainly due to global market factors

Kartondobozból adagoló

Omar Balducci
sales director for CEE and the AMEA region
Lucart

Sustainability – in the form of reusability and recyclable packaging – is the key driver of innovation