Procter & Gamble is venturing into territory dominated by arch-rival Reckitt Benckiser with its first range of stain-remover products.

In its latest bid to revolutionise the UK fabric care market, P&G is extending Ariel into the £80m stain-remover category [IRI March 2010]. Ariel Stain Remover, comprising powder, gel and pre-treat formats, hits shelves on 5 July.

The rsps have not yet been confirmed, but P&G claimed they were a "great value" addition to the stain-remover category, which is currently led by Reckitt Benckiser's Vanish brand.

In a bid to stand out from the competition, the Ariel line-up features a dark blue and yellow colour scheme.

The range had been seven years in the making, according to P&G's UK and Ireland vice president and MD Irwin Lee. The stain-remover market was "ready for innovation", he added. "This launch gets us into an area in which we currently don't play," said Lee.

The company claimed the new product development was a cost-effective and energy efficient measure to prevent consumers from having to increase the detergent dosage or washing temperature to remove tough stains.

The range is already available in Germany, Italy and Spain. Anusha Babbar, brand manager for P&G's fabric care division, claimed the category was "hugely underdeveloped in the UK". "Only half of all households use stain removers versus the 70% who use fabric conditioners," she said.

The launch would be backed by Ariel's biggest- ever marketing campaign starting in July, said P&G.

Vanish, which accounts for a 79% share of the fabric treatment category, recorded a 4% rise in sales last year to £64m, according to Reckitt.

"We welcome any competitive entry, and consumers across Europe have continued to choose Vanish in the past year wherever new products from other brands have been introduced," said Phil Thomas, Reckitt's UK marketing director for household and personal care.

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