P&G ditches Lenor cartons ahead of summer relaunch

Procter & Gamble is to ditch its Lenor cartons and relaunch the fabric conditioner in a new range of bottles this summer. Industry sources say the Lenor range will be given a more modern brand identity in a bid to compete with Lever Fabergé’s

Procter & Gamble is to ditch its Lenor cartons and relaunch the fabric conditioner in a new range of bottles this summer. Industry sources say the Lenor range will be given a more modern brand identity in a bid to compete with Lever Fabergé’s rival Comfort, which is taking market share from the P&G brand.

One insider adds that Lenor has lost ground recently after a string of innovative new fragrances from Comfort, including the Pear and Ginkgo ranges last month, which were supported by a &£5m ad campaign. He says: “Comfort is seen as the more modern and trendy brand, which is an important image in the fabric conditioner market. Lenor has had to do something.”

However, he adds that the move will anger environmentalists, who see the cardboard cartons as less damaging to the environment than plastic bottles.

A spokeswoman for P&G says: “Consumers told us that the cartons did not allow them to measure the dose required for their wash. We have listened to their feedback and have designed a bottle with a special cap for mess-free dosing.”

P&G will roll out the changes in two phases. It will put the concentrated versions of Lenor into plastic bottles in May. This will be followed by the shift of its diluted products later in the summer.

P&G’s move follows similar changes made to Lever Fabergé’s laundry portfolio last year. Lever Fabergé dropped its Persil Liquid refill cartons last summer in response to research showing that 80 per cent of customers pour refills into a bottle after purchase (MW May 8, 2003).

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