Unilever to breathe new life into ‘confusing’ Persil range
Unilever is to embark on a multi-million pound revamp of its Persil detergent range this year in an effort to streamline the product range. Industry experts say that the packaged goods giant has flooded the market with Persil sub-brands in recent years, confusing consumers and resulting in poor sales.
As part of the relaunch, Lever Fabergé, the UK subsidiary of Unilever, is ditching the Naturgel washing-up variant. Naturgel will be reintroduced to the market as Persil Washing-Up Liquid.
The 750ml Persil liquid washing detergent is also being discontinued, to be relaunched in a new bottle. In April Persil capsules, the soluble washing capsules launched in 2001, will be made available in a see-through jar.
One industry source says: “The brands being scrapped are not performing. There are too many Persil sub-brands, which consumers cannot understand. The latest move will simplify the product range.”
Last year, the company pulled the plug on its Persil Revive home dry-cleaning product, less than two years after its launch (MW March 7, 2001).
However, the brand launched an aloe vera variant of Persil tablets and powder detergent last year, in an attempt to capitalise on the growing popularity of alternative remedies (MW March 28, 2001).
Persil has also extended into a service brand, with the launch of Persil Service, an in-store laundrette-style service where shoppers can have their laundry washed, dry-cleaned and ironed. Persil teamed up with Sainsbury’s to launch the service (MW June 6, 2002).
