Store brands make gains in laundry category

In a feature on the laundry detergent market, Happi, a publication covering the personal care industry, reported that private label is winning the category, outpacing national brands in laundry tablets, concentrated liquids and prewash stain removers.

The article complements one that Store Brands did in its November issue, reporting that private brands could clean up in laundry this year based on research from Mintel. The insights firm found that said laundry buyers tend to stick with one brand and that two-thirds are driven by price.

Happi interviewed Josh Winters, a research associate with Euromonitor International, who said because of shorter patent periods, “private label can enter unit dose and other categories faster than ever. It is definitely something to keep an eye on.”

Euromonitor data said nearly one-third of shoppers seek private label and that younger consumers are driving this gain. “Millennials aren’t loyal to national brands,” he said in the article.

Amazon’s private label brand of laundry detergent packs, concentrated laundry liquids and automatic dish detergent packs under the Solimo name could potentially create more private label buzz in the industry this year, too.

Perhaps a bellwether to keep an eye on, the article pointed out that in the product category of wipes, private label sales rose by 20% in 2019 and control more than a quarter of total all-purpose wipes sales. 

Read the full article here.