Bic and Gillette spearhead raft of launches in ladies’ sector as brands battle for share
The women’s shaving market is set to be flooded by a raft of products in the next few months as the leading razor companies fight for dominance of the sector.
One of the first launches will be Bic Soleil, a range of three-bladed disposable women’s razors. Bic still sells its decades-old Lady Shaver range, but industry sources say the company hopes to gain a greater presence in a market dominated by Gillette and Wilkinson Sword.
Meanwhile, Gillette is to launch a range called Blue 2 for Women, which will be positioned as a lower-priced option. The company already markets a similar two-bladed range under the Agilitie brand.
This will be the second disposable razor launch from Gillette this year. There are also plans to extend the Sensor3 range into the female market. The launch will be backed by a &£1.3m television campaign by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, with media buying by MindShare.
Gillette is also to launch Venus Divine, an upgraded version of its best-selling Venus range, which will compete with Wilkinson Sword’s triple-bladed razor Intuition, to launch in March (MW May 22, 2003). Wilkinson Sword markets a number of other female razors, including System 2, Extreme3 and Lady Protector.
Industry insiders have expressed concern the products will not find space on the shelves of retailers, but a spokesman for Gillette says the relatively unexploited female market needs developing. “A high percentage of women still use male razors. We are trying to build the category,” he says.
