Laundry Care in South Africa - New Market Research Report

Laundry care remained a category characterised by fierce price competition and widespread price discounting among manufacturers and retailers during 2014 as the category’s leading players increased volumes sales by reducing prices in order to support demand among South Africa’s cash-strapped consumers. Faced with financial constraints, many South African consumers have become much less brand loyal in recent years, increasingly purchasing brands which they perceive offer them acceptable quality at affordable prices rather than always purchasing their usual preferred branded product. Consumer expenditure continued to decline during 2014 and many South African consumers have resorted to purchasing products such as laundry detergents in bulk in order to save money, while many consumers chose to purchase laundry care products only when they are offered under promotions.

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Competitive Landscape

Unilever South Africa continued to dominate laundry care in 2014 with a value share of 51%. Unilever’s value share continued to decline in 2014, falling by one percentage point due to the strong growth recorded by recent entrant Procter & Gamble, local manufacturer Bliss Chemicals and the increased popularity of private label in the category. Unilever also discontinued the manufacture and sale of its Bio-Tex brand during 2014, which also contributed to the decline of the company’s value share over the course of the year. The Bio-Tex brand was most prominent in in-wash spot and stain removers, pre-wash spot and stain removers and concentrated powder detergents. The brand’s withdrawal presented new opportunities to Reckitt Benckiser’s Vanish brand in spot and stain removers, while Procter & Gamble’s Ariel brand also capitalised on the exit of the Bio-Tex brand.

Industry Prospects

The economic situation in South Africa is set to remain subdued during the forecast period, with weak economic growth anticipated for the local economy. Constrained consumer spending is also likely to remain in evidence, with many consumers having less disposable income than they did during the review period. However, consumer spending is expected to begin increasing again from 2015, albeit at a slow pace, only reaching 2011 levels after 2016. Many South African consumers are therefore likely to remain highly price-sensitive during forecast period, with brand loyalty set to wane as affordability becomes increasingly important during the purchase decision-making process. Private label and economy brands are therefore likely to register strong positive growth in laundry care during the forecast period.

Report Overview

Discover the latest market trends and uncover sources of future market growth for the Laundry Care industry in South Africa with research from Euromonitor's team of in-country analysts.

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