Bleach in Norway

PROSPECTS

Stronger decline for bleach predicted linked to negative perceptions linked to harsh chemicals

Bleach continued to experience declining demand in 2019, influenced by ongoing negative perceptions. The product is now perceived by many Norwegians as outdated and harmful to both the environment and their health, due to its chemical formulation, with concerns particularly related to respiratory problems and irritation associated with inhaling chlorine gas.

Older generations and price-sensitive consumers still comprise core consumer group

Despite the increasing trend towards choosing less harmful home care products amongst many Norwegians, particularly younger generations, bleach retains a core base of price-sensitive consumers, or older generations that have always traditionally used bleach as a general household cleaner. They appreciate the versatility of bleach as well as its low average unit price, and tend to use it as a multi-functional home care solution to various types of cleaning chores such as surface care, toilet care and whitening within laundry care.

Substitute home care products offer alternative options to bleach

In addition to environmental concerns, bleach is also challenged by substitution from other categories within home care, particularly surface care. Manufacturers in the latter are launching increasingly advanced and multi-functional products that do not use such abrasive or perceived harmful ingredients, as they continue to develop ecological ranges, and therefore do not suffer from the same negative factors linked to health and the environment compared to bleach.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Orkla Home & Personal Care strengthens domination of bleach due to long-established presence of leading brand Klorin

Orkla Home & Personal Care strengthened its domination of bleach in 2019 through its established brand Klorin, which faces no discernible competition from other brands. Klorin is synonymous with bleach amongst many Norwegians as it has been present since 1955, and therefore traditionally is relied upon as an essential solution for killing bacteria in local homes.

Private label only notable competitor to Klorin with variety store Europris recording strong performance

The only notable competition to Klorin in Norway is the strong offer by private label, with a notable presence of First Price, Coop and Effekt Klor from Europris. The latter recorded the most impressive performance in 2019, gaining strong value share and double-digit current value growth.

Limited growth opportunities for bleach heading into forecast period

With no discernible innovation to increase value beyond the development of different fragrances, which is unlikely given the domination of Klorin, bleach does not offer many opportunities to increase growth in Norway. The increasing availability of affordable options through variety stores such as Europris meets many consumers’ requirements of bleach as an inexpensive, efficient and versatile cleaning solution.

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