Gillette faces new competition from old shaving rival Schick

By Sarah Parsons | Published: 25-May-2017

The new razor subscription service from Schick aims to topple the P&G-owned giant by offering a cheaper alternative

Edgewell Personal Care has launched its first online razor subscription service, a direct challenge to compete with P&G’s new Gillette on Demand service.

Schick aims to to topple the shaving giant by matching its single purchase offering and by selling blades that fit on a Gillette handle but cost less.

Initially available in the US, pricing starts at $7 for three blade refills.

“The schickhydro.com platform expands our digital capabilities and complements our overall channel strategy,” said David Hatfield, CEO of Edgewell.

"We are confident that our growing online presence will significantly enhance consumer engagement by enabling us to deliver even more innovation and reach consumers across pricing tiers.

“We are committed to leveraging our unique product offerings and record of innovation to enhance our brand equity, drive profitable growth and create shareholder value.”

Old feuds

The personal care company is attempting to trump Gillette to become the best selling razor company with the similar service.

Edgewell has previously come under fire from P&G for alleged patent infringement.

Last August P&G’s Gillette and Edgewell Personal Care were caught in a dispute over a razor model sold in the US.

Gillette filed a lawsuit against Edgewell on the grounds that Edgewell’s 3-bladed private label razors allegedly infringe on multiple patents of Gillette’s MACH3.

The lawsuit also alleged deceptive acts and practices, false advertising and unfair competition.

Gillette on Demand was launched earlier this month to compete with Unilever’s Dollar Shave Club, which has been eating away at Gillette's market share.

The move aimed to tackle Gillette’s falling US market share over the past six years.

According to Euromonitor, its share of the men's razors business fell to 54% in 2016, down from 59% in 2015 and more than 70% in 2010.

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