Flu fears lift Lion's sales

       Lion Corporation (Thailand), the producer of Kirei Kirei hand gel and foam,is reaping the benefits of the H1N1 flu scare which has seen sales of hand cleansers boom.
       Sales of Kirei Kirei hand cleanser have surged since the flu outbreak due to increased hygiene concerns and attempts to prevent the disease's spread, said managing director Boonyarith Mahamontri.
       "We are confident that demand will continue to grow, especially in provincial areas where rural people still rarely buy this kind of product to use in households,schools or government offices," he said.
       The company cut product prices by 20% on Sept 1 to ease the financial burden on customers. A 20ml tube of gel now costs 20 baht, down from 29 baht.
       It also plans to give 1 million tubes of hand cleanser to schools nationwide.Consumers can access 300,000 free sample packs at department stores and shopping complexes."By doing so, we hope our sales of Kirei Kirei hand gel will rise 20 times to 100 million baht by the end of this year, up from only 4-5 million baht last year," he said.
       The overall hand cleanser market is estimated to be worth 300 million baht by year-end and 500 million next year,up from just 40 million last year.
       Mr Boonyarit said the company had reduced production costs and cut expenses for promotional activities so it could pass the savings on to consumers.
       Sales of Lion Corporation (Thailand)in the first seven months rose by 13%following the launch of new products such as Pao Silver Nano detergent. The company expects revenue of 9 billion baht for 2009.