Wipes in the United Kingdom

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Concerns about sustainability are starting to have a negative effect on wipes

In 2019, wipes continued the current value decline seen over the previous three years. Issues relating to wipes continued to be discussed and led more consumers to be concerned about sustainability and the environment, with concern about the effect of microplastics on marine life.

Personal wipes is more negatively affected than home care wipes

Personal wipes saw a continued current value decline in 2019. Baby wipes, the largest category in value terms, saw a strong sales decline in this year, which was partly due to the move away from wipes, and partly due to the falling birth rate.

Multinational leaders maintain their lead but see consistent share declines

The leading players in wipes in 2019 remained Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, and were the only companies to hold double-digit value shares. These players have had a long presence in the market and have brands which are trusted by consumers – Pampers, Flash and Olay for Procter & Gamble and Johnson’s Baby and Johnson’s for Johnson & Johnson.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Wipes is expected to see 3% growth in 2019 constant value terms in 2020 overall, in light of the impact of COVID-19. This is an improvement on the 2% decline forecast in 2019 constant value terms in our 2020 edition of tissue and hygiene published in February 2020 (pre-COVID-19).

Affected products within wipes

Specific categories within wipes are expected to see stronger performances in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19. For instance, as nurseries are closed, parents are having to change more nappies/diapers at home, leading to a spike in growth for this category in 2020.

Recovery and opportunities

Although wipes is expected to see a stronger current value performance in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19, this is not expected to continue in the rest of the forecast period. Instead, in most cases a return to the purchasing patterns and growth trends seen in the review period is expected.

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