Not Everyone Can Copy Procter & Gamble’s Price Hikes
The consumer giant is raising prices on some staples so it won’t get squeezed by rising commodity costs. Makers of less essential items may find it harder to follow suit.
Consumers have already been paying more for some basics even before this fresh round of increases on items like Pampers.
Photographer: Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg
Get ready to pay more for some of the most utilitarian items on your shopping list.
Consumer-products giant Procter & Gamble Co., maker of Pampers diapers and Tampax tampons, said on Tuesday that it would hike prices on items in its baby-care, feminine-care and adult-incontinence divisions to cushion the blow of rising costs for raw materials such as pulp. The announcement comes just weeks after Kimberly-Clark Corp., a competitor that offers brands such as Huggies diapers and Scott toilet tissue, said it plans price increases for the same reason. Both companies said customers should expect mid- to high-single-digit percentage increases.