Increase in soap and tissue sales thanks to Government swine flu warning
Supermarkets and retailers of hygiene products are having to meet the sudden surge in demand, following the Government’s nationwide swine flu information campaign.
As the virus is mainly contracted through the respiratory system, basic cleanliness has been stressed causing sales of soaps and tissues to rapidly rocket.
Retailers of anti-bacterial hand gels, soaps and tissues are experiencing a sales increase following the government’s swine flu initiative which urges people to “catch” sneezes, wash their hands and keep surfaces clean to avoid spreading germs.
Superdrug says sales of antibacterial hand washing products were up 70% over the seven days to Monday 4 May compared to the same period last year, while Sainsbury’s reports its range sold 39% more over the past two weeks compared to the same period in 2008.
The supermarket has notes a rise in it’s year-on-year tissue sales over the same two-week period, to 15%. Marketing manager of Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex, Marc Zander said that the brands Hygiene Kit have experienced a 100% surge since the launch of the government campaign.
His week, Kleenex launched its own press ads, radio sponsorship of weather forecasts, sampling and a mailer to primary schools directing them to the company’s “Sneezesafe” programme supported by the Department of Health.
Soap manufacturer PZ Cussons reported that sales of its Carex brand, which claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria were up “substantially”. As a result, the group has increased production to meet demand.
The first cases of swine flu were discovered in Mexico, and came to world attention almost 14 days ago. Co-op has advised customers in the Midlands who are traveling to Mexico or the USA to visit stores to get up-to-date information. Postponements or alternative destination are on offer.
Since the outbreak, there has been a lot of confusion over whether it’s still safe to eat pork. In response to consumer fears, Waitrose has stressed that the virus is not passed on from food products, but is airborne and it stated that there was no need to avoid pork products.
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