US brand owner Edgewell Personal Care has revealed demand for razors and tampons has slowed, leading to a year of sales decline.
The owner of Wilkinson Sword and Schick confirmed that like-for-like Q4 sales were down by 1.7% to US$528m and 2019 results dropped by 4.2%.
The Connecticut-based company said that its Wet Shave division decreased by 2.7% to $9.4m, with the US driving the decline in women’s and men’s shaving systems as sales fell by 9% in the region.
Feminine Care, which includes Carefree and Playtex, suffered the biggest blow. Sales decreased by 5.6% to $4.6m in 2019 and tampons were singled out as delivering particularly disappointing figures.
However, Sun and Skin Care – which includes Bulldog, Hawaiian Tropic and Jack Black – saw a year of growth.
The division increased by $4m to 5.3% in 2019 across all regions, apart from Asia Pacific.
"Fiscal 2019 was a transformative year for Edgewell, as we advanced our strategic and financial objectives, reshaped our portfolio, invested in our brands and new growth opportunities, and generated substantial cost savings," said Rod Little, CEO of Edgewell.
The figures do not include the acquisition of razor start-up Harry’s for $1.37bn, which is expected to close in Q1 2020.
Little continued: "Our operating and financial results reflect the actions we are taking to innovate, drive sustained growth and simplify the business.”