Andrex Eco, made from 90% recycled paper and 10% bamboo, into UK retail channels last year, and according to Andrea Hopkins, senior EMEA communications manager for Kimberly-Clark, the product has found favour with consumers, largely due to its green credential. “Bamboo grows a lot faster than trees so it can produce up to five times more fibre than the types of trees usually made to make tissue paper,” says Hopkins. “This means we need less land to grow them and research shows they also need less water. We are the first tissue manufacturer to make a product with our unique mix of recycled fibre and bamboo and as with all Kimberly-Clark’s tree fibre, we make sure it’s sustainable and only use Forest Stewardship Councilcertified bamboo – we don’t use bamboo from any areas where endangered species live.” Such a radical approach is a great way of creating differentiation between brands and own-label products, argues Hopkins – not that the manufacturer is overly worried about retailer own-label offerings anyhow. “The important thing is to see private label not as a threat but the means to growing a co-operative relationship with key customers,” says Hopkins. “Of course our fundamental approach is to nurture and build our leading brands and we remain confident in the strength of our brands across each of our health and hygiene categories.” Part of the problem is of course that in addition to selling their products through the retailers many of the leading manufacturers also produce own-label products for their retail partners. As a result, manufacturers of tissue products have to tread carefully when plotting their forward strategies, cautions Boo Ehlin, vice president of media relations at SCA. This is reflected in the company’s approach to dealing with retailers.
TRENDY TOILET PAPER Beyond a love of music what do bootilicious pop diva Beyonce and music impresario Simon Cowell have in common? The surprising answer is that they both like to use the same trendy toilet tissue on their dainty derrieres. According to tabloid reports, Beyonce demands that rolls of red toilet roll produced by toilet tissue manufacturer Renova are placed in her dressing room as part of her rider before gigs, whereas Cowell is a big fan of the company’s black toilet roll, according to his biographer Tom Bower. The quirky toilet tissue range, which launched in Paris in 2005, is available in a wide range of different colours, including black, brown, red and green, with a retail price of €7.15 for six rolls. Currently available in more than 50 different countries, the product was dreamed up by Renova chief executive Pereira da Silva during a performance of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. José Pinheiro, director of brand and business development at Renova says the typical user of the company’s products is “more affluent, but not necessarily so. They’re trend seekers, open to novelties, young and middle-aged, aspirational, emotional and non-conformal”. As for whether or not the rumours are true about Beyonce and Cowell being big fans of the brand, Pinheiro refuses to be drawn. “We have a lot more celebrities using the product, especially in Hollywood, but we cannot disclose their identities,” he says.
“SCA has a dual strategy for consumer tissue and [we] are producing and marketing consumer tissue product under SCA’s own brands and retailer brands,” says Ehlin. “About 50% of products are marketed under SCA’s brands, while the remaining 50% is sold under retailers’ brands.” Regardless of whether or not manufacturers are producing branded tissue products or products for retail customers’ own-label ranges, the key to future success is delivering NPD that delivers on specific consumer needs – whether that be environmental, functional or value driven, argues SCA Hygiene’s Plenty brand manager Laura Burrows. “With changes in consumer behaviour resulting in consumers recognising the benefits of household tissues as a core part of a household’s cleaning armoury, there is a growing desire for products that meet specific cleaning needs. This is challenging brands to develop innovative household tissue products tailored specifically to the needs of the consumer,” says Burrows. Until the industry gets to grips with these demands it will be some time before the tissue market gets on a roll again.
Renova’s black toilet paper includes music impresario Simon Cowell as a fan
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