Wipes in Greece

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Baby wipes remains most popular type in 2019 due to affordability and perceived multi-purpose attributes

Personal care wipes remained as the main wipes category in Greece in 2019 and continued to be dominated by baby wipes. Despite maturity due to its high penetration rate and declining birth rates, baby wipes recorded the strongest performance in both volume and current value terms at the end of the review period, as their use goes beyond helping to care for babies and toddlers.

Stronger potential for moist toilet wipes hindered by price and competition from baby wipes in 2019

Remaining a niche area of the category in 2019 due to its entry to Greece mid-review period and therefore growing from a low sales base, moist toilet wipes continued to record a stable performance. However, stronger growth is hindered by competition from the established baby wipes which are cheaper, benefit from higher consumer awareness and wider availability with many consumers using baby wipes for the same purpose as the specific moist toilet wipes.

Competitive landscape of wipes sees strong brand loyalty in 2019, leaving little room for private label

Domestic player Mega Disposables strengthened its overall leadership of wipes in 2019, benefiting from the popularity of its brands within personal wipes; Baby Care leads the largest category of baby wipes, gaining strong value share from its closest competitor Pampers from Procter & Gamble due to its lower retail price, while its brand Wet Hankies strengthened its lead of general purpose wipes due to strong distribution. Its facial cleansing wipes Pom Pon retained its lead as it offers a competitive price, wide distribution, and strong brand name, although in line with declining demand for this product type, Pom Pon has experienced some cannibalisation from Baby Care due to the general habit of substituting baby wipes for removing cosmetics and cleansing the face.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Value sales of wipes are now expected to grow by 6% at constant 2019 prices in 2020 overall in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to a 3% value rise forecast at constant 2019 prices in our 2020 edition of tissue and hygiene published in February 2020 (pre-COVID-19).

Affected products within wipes

The emergence of COVID-19 in Greece is likely to have a positive impact on a number of categories in 2020 linked to a variety factors. The home seclusion trend will benefit demand for baby wipes; with nurseries closing, parents with small children are staying at home and are finding themselves carrying out more frequent nappy changes which also require the use of baby wipes in the cleaning process, leading to a prediction of strong double-digit volume growth for the year.

Recovery and opportunities

Over the forecast period, wipes overall will record a positive performance, continuing to be driven by the largest category of personal wipes, particularly the accessible baby wipes, which are used for a multitude of purposes. Despite the optimism predicted for smaller categories such as general purpose wipes and moist toilet wipes for 2020 linked to increasing awareness of hygiene around the home and lack of availability of toilet paper due to initial panic buying respectively, significant interest in these specific products will gradually wane towards the end of the forecast period as local consumers return to previous purchasing habits.

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