Swine-flu fears trigger liquid-soap sales

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009MELTEM KARA ISTANBUL - Hürriyet As the recent H1N1 flu outbreak in Turkey causes fear, the sales of personal cleansing products, such as wet napkins, antibacterial gels and liquid soap rise significantly. Besides existing companies, more firms are preparing to offer new products for concerned customers

DEBATE: Due to the pandemic H1N1 virus, which has resulted in schools being shut in many cities, sales of cleansing products have boomed amid ongoing debate about the effectiveness of vaccines.

The increasing sensitivity surrounding the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, has boosted sales of wet napkins, antibacterial gels and liquid soap by as much as 300 percent in Turkey.

As of Wednesday, at least one person has died after being infected by the virus, which has resulted in schools being shut in many Turkish cities.

Consumers are following expert advice to keep their hands clean, and the liquid-soap and antibacterial-gel sectors are expected to reach revenues of $100 million and $1 million, respectively, by the end of the year.

The sales of cleansing products have boomed amid ongoing debate about the effectiveness of vaccines. The sale of antibacterial gels, in which consumers did not show much interest previously, rose threefold following the outbreak.

The antibacterial-gel market had a volume of 153,000 Turkish Liras in September and 797,000 liras for the first nine months of the year. The market grew by 64 percent between June and August, in the two months since the virus made its way onto the national agenda.

Antibacterial hand-cleansing gel comprised 10 percent of the total market prior to the flu outbreak; its share has jumped to 30 percent as a result of the H1N1 cases. The frequency of gel usage has reached up to 80 percent as many people have started to utilize such products as a precautionary measure. Many companies have also prioritized the use of such gels at workplaces and placed bulk orders.

Liquid-soap demand on rise

The demand is also rapidly increasing for liquid soap, as its total market volume reached 90 million liras in the first nine months of the year. A major factor in this rise has been the Education Ministrys ordering the use of liquid soap at schools.

Antibacterial products normally constitute 10 percent of the liquid-soap sector, which has annual sales of 33,000 tons, but their share has now reached 15 percent. The measured volume of the antibacterial market totaled 12 million liras in the first nine months, while the antibacterial liquid-soap market has grown by 80 percent.

In addition to individual consumption, bulk orders have also increased.

We get calls from schools, business centers and shopping centers for our antibacterial and alcohol-based cleansing and hygiene products, said Gelincik Onan, director at Eczacıbaşı Girişim Pazarlama, a unit of Eczacıbaşı Holding, whose core sectors are building products, health care and consumer products. Demand has risen significantly in recent days. Our sales team on industrial hygiene offers consulting at many locations, particularly schools.

Wet napkins are also drawing more attention than ever. In Turkey, the demand for paper napkins rises generally in March and September, while the demand for wet napkins goes up during summer and fall. The market, which grows 10 percent annually on average, has reportedly expanded by 20 percent.

Faced with this rise in demand, companies active in the sector, including Docteur Renaud, Viking and Colgate Palmolive, are hastening production of antibacterial hand cleansers. Hayat Kimya has also sped up its antibacterial wet-napkin project in response to the pandemic threat.

Sales of surgical masks have climbed within the last two months as well, said Nihat Uludaş, sales manager of Bonmed Health Products, which produces hygienic products under the Bonex brand. Our sales have risen by five to six times, Uludaş said. Considering the demand, it would be possible to sell even 40 million masks a month if there were that many available.

LINK: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=swine-flu-fears-trigger-liquid-soap-sales-2009-10-28

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