In a move that has taken many by surprise, Kleenex facial tissues, a staple in Canadian households for decades, will soon disappear from store shelves across the country. The consumer facial tissue business, a subsidiary of U.S. manufacturer Kimberly-Clark, has announced its impending exit from the Canadian market, slated for later this month.
The brand of tissue paper has become bigger than the brand. Like 3M Scotch tape, Kleenex has become known as the produce over the industry. It doesn’t matter what you call a tissue, many Canadians call them Kleenex regardless of the brand.
Todd Fisher, the Canadian Vice-President and General Manager of Kimberly-Clark, expressed the difficulty of this decision. He cited significant supply chain constraints and unique challenges faced by the Kleenex brand in Canada as the driving forces behind this move.
Fisher elaborated on the decision, explaining that it will enable Kimberly-Clark to reallocate its resources more effectively towards sustaining the presence of other products within Canada. While Kleenex facial tissues will no longer be available to Canadian consumers, Kimberly-Clark will continue to offer Kleenex professional facial tissues and consumer hand towel products in the Canadian market.
Importantly, this change will not impact the availability of other beloved Kimberly-Clark brands in Canada. Products such as Cottonelle, Viva, U by Kotex, Poise, Depend, Huggies, Pull-Ups, and Goodnites will remain unaffected and readily accessible to consumers nationwide.
As Kleenex bids farewell to Canada, consumers will undoubtedly have to explore alternative options for their facial tissue needs, marking the end of an era for a household name that has been a trusted companion through countless sneezes, sniffles, and tears.