Photo: Target
If you’ve been in a Target over the past few months, you may have noticed an endcap featuring a large, orange-handled Harry’s razor. Back in August, Target and Harry’s, an online shaving products subscription service, announced that the brand would be sold in the retailer’s stores. At the time, many questioned if Harry’s or Target would benefit more from the venture. While that as yet to be answered, a Wall Street Journal article suggests there is a loser in all of this — Gillette.
According to the Journal, which cited Nielsen data as its source, Harry’s achieved a 10 percent share of cartridge sales and 50 percent of razor handle sales in Target within the first four weeks of going on sale in its stores. Target has confirmed that Gillette sales have declined in its stores.
Harry’s, which gets its own four-foot section adjacent to Gillette in Target, offers a selection of razors, shaving cream, face wash and other items. The line is also sold on Target’s website, which offers a five percent discount on Harry’s subscriptions to REDcard members as well as free shipping.
Gillette’s business, the article points out, has been under pressure from Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club, another online seller of razors and associated products, which was acquired by Unilever for a reported $1 billion in July.
Gillette, which is owned by Unilever rival Procter & Gamble, has started its own online subscription program to compete with Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club. The brand has seen its leading market share of the U.S. shaving category drop from 70 percent to 60 percent over the past few years, according to Euromonitor. Schick, the third player in the category, has seen its share fall in recent years, as well.
“The men’s grooming industry is changing quickly. This evolution is largely driven by the way men are shopping these days. They’re extremely selective, buying online more than ever before, and also care more about expressing their personal style than past generations,” said John Butcher, senior vice president of beauty and personal care for Target, in August.