11/10/2008 15h29
Kimberly-Cark invests in solar protector for children
Gazeta Mercantil - 11/10/2008
One of the biggest manufacturers of diapers with the Turma da Mônica brand, Kimberly-Clark now wants to expand its domain over the child world launching a solar protector of the same line. With investment of R$ 12 million (US$ 5.6 million) the North-American giant wants to gain a share of the heated marked of solar protectors and tanners, that last year alone grew 37% compared to 2006, in total activities of R$ 665 million (US$ 344.6 million) according to data of the Brazilian Association of Personal Cleaning, Perfumery and Cosmetics Industry (Abihpec). By also offering solar protectors, Kimberly expects to double the revenue of its line of baby products, currently formed by bath and after bath items. Today this segment represents 5% of child sales, while all the rest comes from diapers. With the protectors' line, which started to arrive to all stores in the Country in October, Kimberly expects that this participation should grow to 10% in the next summer already. "We expect to have 20% of the market of child protectors this year and gain another 20% in the next", said the executive. Sundown has approximately 40% of the market, according to Johnson. Considering only the child segment, it is 37.4%. From the invested R$ 12 million (US$ 5.6 million), R$ 7 million (US$ 3.3 million) were destined to product development, whose researches lasted two years, and R$ 5 million (US$ 2.3 million) to the advertising campaign, which should circulate in magazines and be aired in television in the next months. This will help gain consumers, since the products specially aimed to children already represent 4% of the total of the solar protection market, according to a survey made by another important competitor, Johnson & Johnson, owner of the Sundown brand. Besides Turma da Mônica, Kimberly is also responsible for the representation of the Huggies diapers in Brazil and, among the products for adults and family, it owns the Intimus Gel, Neve, and Scott brands, among others.
