Lever Bros has entered the home-care kit market with Persil Revive. The product began to appear on supermarket shelves at the end of August .
It is available in two sizes, a single sheet sampler pack at £1.19 and a five sheet pack at £4.99. As an initial promotion, the single sheet includes a voucher giving £1 discount on the larger size.
The launch will be backed by a £6.5million marketing and advertising campaign which features TV, radio, posters, print ads, direct mail and internet activity.
Revive is described as a quick and convenient way to freshen and spot clean dryclean clothes at home in the tumble dryer. The sheets are used for both functions and each sheet can be used for up to four items. Unlike some kits, no bag is needed.
A representative of Lever Bros told LCN that the company had been careful to point out that Revive was not a replacement for professional drycleaning, but was intended for freshening garments and removing small spots between visits to the cleaner. The product comes with careful instructions. For example it points out that some materials such as suede, leather, velvet and silk will not be suitable for the treatment.
It also warns that Revive should only be used in domestic dryers on a low heat and that sensor dryers should be used in timer mode. It should not be used in the launderette.
The launch of Revive extends Persil beyond its traditional home laundry portfolio and into a category which the company estimates will be worth £30 million a year in additional business.
