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Tag: Kimberly-Clark

  • Asia-Pacific Diaper Market to Reach $19.9 Billion as Pant Formats Gain

    Asia-Pacific Diaper Market to Reach $19.9 Billion as Pant Formats Gain

    The Asia-Pacific baby diaper market reached USD 11.3 billion in 2025, heading toward USD 19.9 billion by 2035. Revenue across the region will hit USD 12.1 billion in 2026, expanding at a 5.9 per cent annual compound rate over the ten-year period.

    Unicharm Corporation led the regional sector with more than 21 per cent market share in 2025. Together with Procter & Gamble, Hengan International Group, Kao Corporation, and Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the top five players controlled 58 per cent of total diaper revenue across Asia-Pacific.

    Shift to Pants and Digital Channels

    Taped diapers generated 52 per cent of sales in 2025, anchored by newborn demand and premium lines such as Pampers Premium Care and Huggies Platinum. Pant-style diapers accounted for the remaining 48 per cent. Rising demand for mobile infant formats will push pant diapers to 56 per cent of the total market by 2035, expanding at a 7.2 per cent annual rate.

    Digital storefronts captured 44.9 per cent of total regional revenue in 2025. Diaper sales through online platforms are climbing at 7.5 per cent annually, led by recurring orders on Tmall, JD.com, Flipkart, Lazada, and Shopee. High price transparency on these marketplaces is forcing brand owners to rely on bundle promotions and subscription models rather than standard shelf markups.

    Volume Split Between East and South Asia

    China remains the largest market by revenue, while India is expanding the fastest. Mature metropolitan markets in Japan, South Korea, and Tier-1 Chinese cities reward high-specification components, including multi-layer superabsorbent polymer cores, breathable backsheets, and wetness indicators. Suppliers in these markets face tighter environmental policy, including South Korean producer-responsibility rules and Japanese resource-circulation guidelines targeting nonwoven plastic waste.

    In contrast, revenue growth across India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines relies on converting households from cloth to disposable products. That conversion hits income ceilings in areas where household earnings stay below USD 5 per day. Sourcing volatility in polypropylene nonwovens and elastic attachments leaves little room for price increases in mass-market packs.

    Regional manufacturers are running split production lines to balance these distinct market demands. The strategy separates high-speed, cost-optimized conversion for Southeast Asian distribution networks from thin-core premium lines destined for East Asian e-commerce channels.

    Production economics now hinge on how fast producers adjust material formulations before municipal packaging and nonwoven waste rules take effect in Northeast Asian retail networks.

  • New Zealand Clears Kimberly-Clark Kenvue Deal with Feminine Hygiene Divestment

    New Zealand Clears Kimberly-Clark Kenvue Deal with Feminine Hygiene Divestment

    New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has approved Kimberly-Clark’s acquisition of Kenvue. Clearance requires the business to divest Kenvue’s feminine hygiene operations across New Zealand and Australia.

    This divestment covers regional rights to brands including Carefree and Stayfree. The condition aims to prevent excessive market concentration on supermarket shelves.

    Conditions for Clearance Across Australasia

    Kimberly-Clark is acquiring Kenvue, the consumer health spin-off from Johnson & Johnson, in a global takeover. Under an undertaking given to the regulator, Kimberly-Clark must sell the entire Kenvue feminine care unit in both countries to an approved independent buyer.

    Commerce Commission deputy chair Anne Callinan said the remedy protects competition across personal care aisles, where both suppliers held overlapping product lines.

    Supermarket Consolidation and Buyer Timelines

    Australasian retailers face tightening supplier networks as multinational consumer goods groups consolidate personal care portfolios. Selling Carefree and Stayfree keeps an independent supplier in play against Kimberly-Clark’s Kotex and U by Kotex lines.

    Attention now turns to the asset sale. Kimberly-Clark must secure a commission-approved buyer within a confidential, binding timeframe to finalize the broader merger clearance.

  • Kimberly-Clark Braces for $170M Blow from Rising Oil Prices Amid Robust Personal Care Product Demand

    Kimberly-Clark Braces for $170M Blow from Rising Oil Prices Amid Robust Personal Care Product Demand

    Kimberly-Clark, the multinational personal care corporation, announced on Tuesday that sustained high oil prices could tally an additional US$170 million in expenses for the second half of the year. Despite the warning, the company maintained its annual forecast, citing steady demand for personal care products.

    Higher Oil Prices to Impact Input Costs

    Concerns about escalating oil prices have been reverberating throughout the consumer goods industry, particularly among Kimberly-Clark’s competitors such as Procter & Gamble. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to push up the price of oil. The company’s CFO, Nelson Urdaneta, asserted that if oil prices remain at $100-per-barrel for the remainder of the year, the company could witness a surge in gross input cost inflation of between $150 million and $170 million. Urdaneta clarified that the forecasted potential impact is not yet included in the company’s current outlook. However, management is reportedly exploring ways to mitigate these potential losses.

    Additional Risks and Challenges

    The manufacturer of Huggies diapers also anticipates a $50 million loss in the second quarter due to a recent fire at one of their distribution centers in California. This is in addition to the already mounting costs related to the Middle East conflict.

    Despite facing a slowdown in demand and stringent competition, Kimberly-Clark has managed to stay on course to complete its $40 billion acquisition of Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, in the latter half of 2026. Rising product sales and a wider array of affordable options have helped the company weather these challenges.

    Company Outlook

    Chief Marketing Strategist at Zacks Investment ​Management, Brian Mulberry, noted that Kimberly-Clark’s transformation, with its focus on value across its product tiers, places the company in a better position compared to its counterparts.

    The company anticipates its organic sales growth for fiscal 2026 to be in line with or slightly ahead of the average growth in the categories and markets it competes. In the past 12 months, these markets have grown at a rate of approximately 2.5 per cent. The company’s annual adjusted profit forecast remains unchanged.

    Following the announcement that Kimberly-Clark surpassed first-quarter sales estimates, its shares rose about 1 per cent. The corporation reported sales of $4.16 billion, exceeding the average analyst estimate of $4.09 billion. However, the quarterly adjusted profit declined to $1.60 per share from $1.62 a year ago, affected by price reductions and investments in product innovation.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the projected impact of sustained high oil prices on Kimberly-Clark’s expenses?
    The company estimates an additional $150 million to $170 million in costs for the second half of the year if oil prices remain at $100 per barrel.

    What other challenges is the company facing aside from high oil prices?
    Kimberly-Clark is dealing with a slowdown in demand, intense competition, and a $50 million loss due to a fire at a distribution center in California.

    What is the state of Kimberly-Clark’s sales growth and forecast?
    Kimberly-Clark expects its 2026 organic sales growth to align with or surpass the average growth in its competitive markets. The company’s annual adjusted profit forecast remains consistent.

  • JD.com surprises with first profitable quarter

    JD.com surprises with first profitable quarter

    JD.com profit soared 50 per cent after a 39 per cent increase in sales during the Chinese online retailer’s latest quarter.

    Its unaudited results for the three months to the end of September show revenue of RMB83.7 billion (US$12.6 billion), with a record 50.3 per cent surge in gross profit to RMB13 billion. Non-GAAP gross profit was RMB12.8 billion, up 51.9 per cent.

    Active customer accounts increased by 34 per cent to 266.3 million in the 12 months to September 30.

    Chairman/CEO Richard Lio says the company is building robust product content and enhancing user engagement with innovative tools that enable brands to launch highly targeted online marketing programs.

    “The scale economies of our model are becoming clearer with every quarter,” says CFO Sidney Huang. “Looking ahead, we will continue to prioritise investments in technology and leading R&D talent as we execute on our vision to revolutionise China’s retail industry.”

    While releasing its third-quarter figures, JD.com also listed its latest business developments…

    In October, JD and Tencent expanded their partnership with the launch of a marketing initiative that integrates insights on consumer behaviour from Tencent’s social-media platforms with online and offline shopping data from JD and its brand partners. As well as enabling more precise target marketing, the move benefits consumers by offering them wider access to sales promotions and preferred discounts.

    Strategic partnerships

    During the past three months, JD.com also formed strategic partnerships with Baidu, iQIYI, NetEase, Sogou and Qihoo 360 with their big-data resources, massive user bases and AI algorithm technologies.

    JD also continued to strengthen its position among top-tier international brands, expanding its partnership with high-fashion brand Armani with the opening of official online stores for Armani Exchange and Emporio Armani.

    JD Worldwide also launched flagship stores for such companies as Reckitt Benckiser, Spectrum Brands and Tiger, while its new Toplife platform attracted marquee brands like Dyson, La Perla, Rimowa (LVMH) and Trussardi.

    During the quarter, JD Logistics test-launched an unmanned sorting centre, the first of its kind in the logistics industry. JD also signed agreements to lay the groundwork for the rollout of China’s largest drone network.

    In September, JD Logistics expanded its environmentally friendly logistics and packaging campaign, working with brands including  Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Lego, L’Oreal, P&G, Nestle, Unilever, Watsons and Wrigley. The aim is to minimise environmental impact by cutting back on packaging materials.

    Customer demand

    JD also enhanced its fresh product offerings during the quarter to meet customer demand. In July, it launched the Canadian Fresh Food Pavilion, the first country pavilion for fresh products on the JD.com platform. Live lobsters from Canada can now be delivered to customers’ doorsteps in China in as little as 48 hours. During JD’s Super Canadian Day, 140,000 lobsters were sold within 24 hours.

    In September, JD.com, JD Finance, Central Group and Provident Capital announced agreements to establish two JVs in Thailand covering e-commerce and fintech services, with an aggregate investment of $500 million. JD.com is providing its expertise in technology, e-commerce and logistics while Central Group is drawing on its retail store network, brand and merchant relationships, and retail behaviour insights from its loyalty program.

    In October, JD and Sam’s Club launched a promotion offering customers discounted bundled memberships for Sam’s Club and the JD Plus paid-for membership service.

    By the end of October, JD.com JV New Dada had partnered with 146 Walmart stores and 301 Yonghui stores, as well as many other supermarkets and grocery stores, to provide online fresh grocery shopping with one-hour home delivery.

    At the end of September, JD.com had 405 warehouses and provided scheduled delivery services in 250 Chinese cities. It had about 160,000 merchants on its online marketplace, and 137,975 full-time employees.

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