Sales of Dettol and other cleaning products will remain high for some time to come, the boss of household products giant RB said today as the company issued an upbeat trading statement.
Laxman Narasimhan, chief executive of RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser), today said the group was set for a better-than-expected 2020, thanks to soaring sales of Dettol.
He said that consumers had been working with new cleaning routines for months since the Covid-19 pandemic began - and said he expected people would continue that behaviour even once the crisis was over.
RB employs more than 1,400 in Hull making products including Dettol.
He said: “We have gone back in time and looked at what we have seen when there have been other outbreaks, like Sars and Mers. And what you see is that there is a step up in consumption – a step up in both penetration, which is sustained, and then frequency of use.
“It won’t be at the peak levels that you might see today. But if you compare it to pre-Covid times, we expect that the levels will be higher.”
RB said sales in its health business, including Dettol, rose 9.3% in the first half of the financial year. Mr Narasimhan said what he called “lower social interactions” had led to a fall in sales for Durex.
The hygiene business, whose brands include Lysol and Finish, grew by 16%. , meaning overall sales were up 11.9% on a like-for-like basis, .
Mr Narasimhan said: “The first six months of 2020 have been underpinned by resilience, agility and strong execution. I’m incredibly proud of the effort of our people, who have worked tirelessly, while staying safe, with focus and dedication in an environment that’s been changing daily.
“We have the largest portfolio of surface disinfectant brands, including Dettol, Lysol and Sagrotan. Our largest brands are trusted by our consumers, as is evident in their performance.”
He added: “Our hygiene and base health businesses have both performed well, with strong volume growth in challenging circumstances.”
