Tissue and Hygiene in Hong Kong, China

Consumers trade up as incomes rise

Retail tissue and hygiene continued to see steady gains in current value terms in 2018 with Hong Kong’s economy thriving. As disposable incomes rise consumers are increasingly looking for premium and added-value products such as those with antibacterial properties, organic ingredients and ingredients that care for the skin and this has helped to drive value growth.

Ageing population drives growth of adult incontinence

One area to benefit from Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing society is adult incontinence, through both the retail and away-from-home channels. The government has taken steps to increase awareness of this issue and to remove the stigma associated with it, while leading brands such as Tena have also used marketing to improve acceptance among a younger audience, especially working women.

International brands dominate while private label struggles

Kimberly-Clark (HK) Ltd, Procter & Gamble HK Ltd and Essity AB continued to dominate tissue and hygiene in Hong Kong. These players benefit from their strong positions in the largest categories, with brands that consumers trust and which they often perceive to be of a higher quality than local alternatives.

Supermarkets and health and beauty specialist retailers dominate distribution

Supermarkets and health and beauty specialist retailers continued to account for most sales of retail tissue and hygiene in 2018. Supermarkets offer convenience with these stores being located across the island and enabling consumers to purchase products such as nappies/diapers/pants and toilet paper as part of their weekly shop.

Premiumisation set to continue

With slow population growth and a low birth rate retail tissue and hygiene is likely to see slower retail volume growth over the forecast period when compared to the review period. These products have largely all reached maturity and therefore rely on population growth to drive volume sales.

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