It is all ‘Cosy and Rosy’ in Kenyan toilets

By JACKSON OKOTH

Cosy toilet paper is the leading choice in a heap of tissue papers that dot the shelves in retail outlets in Kenya, a survey has shown.

Data from Consumer Insight puts Cosy at the top with 26 per cent, ranking it as the most popular brand.

Others battling for a share of this market is Rosy at 15 per cent, Toilex 14 per cent, Tena 13 per cent, Sawasawa at 7 per cent, Flora 5 per cent and Velvex 5 per cent.

Consumer Insight’s study indicates that while there are seven strong tissue brands, none has been able to emerge as a leader.

Of note is the dual nature of this market, defined by income levels. The mass market favourite is Cosy, which unsurprisingly has the highest market-share.

Velvex capably represents the appeal of the premium market.

Overall, companies have sought presence in both segments by fielding two brands.

For a product whose demand is constantly and frequently renewed, the double effort might be worth it.

On a global scale, spending on toilet paper has grown continually over the past few years and surpassed $45 billion in 2012, an increase of 7 per cent compared to 2011 figures.

High growth rates have mainly been as a result of increasing demand from emerging markets, such as Brazil and China.

Soaring commodity prices pushed up the average unit prices, and manufacturers sought to offset the extra costs of production, packaging and distribution by passing them on to consumers.

The Brazilian and Chinese markets have flattered global toilet paper growth over the past five years, diluting the impact of poor sales in most Western countries.

Stagnating economies will slow down but not derail their influence on growth to 2017.

Some of the world’s fastest growing consumer markets, notably India and Indonesia, do not use toilet paper for cultural and hygiene reasons.