New brand strategy announced for Andrex

Andrex has announced a new brand and category strategy aimed at driving value back into the toilet tissue market.

The strategy will be brought to life with a new marketing and in-store programme. The transformational programme will see Andrex drive reconsideration of the brand as a vital part of the intimate care routine, through a new category strategy, which aims to develop how toilet tissue is shopped in store. The company plans to work closely with retailers to create an improved aisle experience, reflect shoppers’ needs, and bring to life the importance of intimate care.

In a UK first, Andrex will encourage consumers to consider how fundamental being clean is to their physical and emotional wellbeing – and how essential toilet tissue is to helping them feel truly clean, particularly when it comes to caring for intimate areas. This reconsideration of the brand is central to the new strategy, which will see the brand employ a pioneering approach to improving both the product and shopping experience through updated range and packaging strategies, improving ease of shop; shelf visibility and PoP targeting, and effective promotions and format realignment.

The toilet tissue market is one of the UK’s largest grocery categories, worth £1.06bn. However, over the last year, it has seen a significant decline (3.2%) in value sales year-on-year, with volume declining by 1.7%.

Karel van der Mandele, Andrex UK and Ireland marketing director, intimate care, commented: “It’s time for the category to change. Toilet tissue is central to how clean people feel, so it’s crucial to their wellbeing; it’s this core insight, which has driven the new brand strategy. It is the single most important item in consumers’ bathrooms, and therefore represents a significant opportunity. Driving reconsideration is a key element to improving the performance of the category and ensuring its health long term.”

Laura Ward, Andrex customer marketing manager added: “We know that, on average, customers spend between three and five minutes shopping the toilet tissue aisle, so this is a vital opportunity to ensure they are able to make an informed choice. We aim to do this by transforming the aisle environment and bringing to life the intimate care proposition, whilst also improving the ranging to reduce confusion and benefit the shopper.”