Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
According to market analyst Kantar, 72% of households increased the number of times they cleaned in 2020, helping sales of cleaning and paper products grow by 60% year on year. As we leave the strictest lockdown measures behind and begin to open our homes to guests, the trend for frequent cleaning looks set to continue, meaning independent retailers should kit out their stores with a range of products for every room to cater for this need.
According to wholesaler Bestway, the anti-bacterial category has grown by more than 30% since the start of the pandemic. Matt Stanton, head of category and insight at DCS Group, believes the trend is here to stay. He says retailers should make sure they stock anti-bacterial products from key home care categories, such as surface cleaners and dish care. Products such as Dettol Surface Spray, Flash Anti-bacterial Lemon Wipes and Fairy Antibacterial Dish Wash are “good examples of products that fit with this trend”.
Bigger packs
The liquid disinfectant market has seen growth of 68%, says Vicky Oldroyd, senior brand manager for Zoflora UK. She recommends stocking Zoflora’s 120ml and 250ml assortment packages, which offer a “full range of fragrances that are likely to suit most tastes” and give plenty of choice for “different seasons, moods or parts of the home”. She says: “As consumers buy into our brand, we do see them transitioning towards bigger pack sizes due to the extra value for money they offer.”
Concise range
In the final 12 weeks of 2020, the paper products category saw growth of up to 2%, with kitchen towels growing by more than 5%. With usually limited space in convenience stores for products such as paper, Stanton at DCS says retailers should stock a core and concise range of facial tissues, kitchen towels and toilet tissue. “In the independent channel, Andrex is the largest brand within toilet tissue with a 40% share of the market. Andrex Classic Clean Toilet Roll £2.50 price-marked pack is the number one toilet tissue. Regina is the largest brand within kitchen towels with a 26% share of the market.
Kitchen towels
“Regina Blitz Kitchen Roll 100 Sheets is the number one kitchen towel. Kleenex is the largest brand within facial tissues with 59% share of the market.” Own-label also plays an important role within the paper category, says Stanton, as not all shoppers are looking for branded products.
By Éilis Cronin
