Unilever cuts its toothpaste price in market share bid

What you need to know:

Unilever has cut the price of 150 grams Pepsodent to Sh99, down from Sh199.
A 150g package of Colgate Herbal is retailing at Sh220 while Close-Up of 125g is going for Sh220 and 110g of White dent at Sh160.

Unilever has cut the price of its toothpaste Pepsodent by more than half as it seeks to grow its local oral healthcare market share.

The firm has cut the price of 150 grams Pepsodent to Sh99, down from Sh199, looking to capture the price-sensitive market as rivals step up marketing drives.

Kenya’s toothpaste market has in the past five years attracted more players.

Besides Pepsodent, Unilever owns the Close-Up brand. Colgate-Palmolive is the seller of Colgate toothpaste while GlaxoSmithKline Kenya deals in Aquafresh brand, making it a multinational affair.

A 150g package of Colgate Herbal is retailing at Sh220 while Close-Up of 125g is going for Sh220 and 110g of White dent at Sh160.

“To help generate more interest and remain competitive the leading players are expected to continue innovating such as through the use of natural and herbal ingredients, as well as by carrying out regular marketing campaigns,” research firm Euromonitor said in a Kenyan market analysis.

Unilever on Wednesday said at celebrations to mark this year’s World Oral Health Day in Kajiado that its mission is to deliver affordable oral health.

“We have also issued Sh25million worth of samples in 225 schools in Nairobi in a bid to break barriers of awareness and access,” said beauty and personal care director at Unilever East Africa Pawan Marella.

Most Kenyans have never been assessed for oral diseases.