Market research body Mintel predicts that the value of the UK’s toilet roll market will continue to shrink, with a drop in sales of two per cent, and a drop in value from £1.2 billion to £1.1 billion occurring during 2015, as Lidl and Aldi continue to persuade shoppers to spend less money on the household necessity.
Mintel’s work shows that toilet paper with luxury properties, such as being quilted or lotion-enriched, is far less attractive to the UK consumer than it once was, with low prices increasingly dictating footfall. The presence of the German discounters in the UK has eroded the UK toilet roll market’s value by six per cent, Mintel says.
In 2014, the average UK household spent £43 on toilet paper, whereas in 2015 it spent only £41. The amount is likely to fall again over 2016.
Moreover, nearly 60 per cent of consumers say they use their toilet roll and kitchen roll frugally.
Mintel analyst Jack Duckett told the TheGuardian.com, "Strength, softness and thickness remain the leading indicators of toilet paper quality, with just a small proportion of consumers swayed by luxe claims such as quilted, embossed or lotion/enriched with balm.
"These premium claims are deemed unnecessary by the majority of shoppers, most likely reflecting how these types of products are typically more expensive than regular toilet paper, even when on special offer."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here
