Clean loos and germ-free kitchen counters are coming at a higher cost, as household bleach prices soar in the mults.
Research by The Grocer using Assosia data reveals shelf prices of bleach have shot up as much as 90% across the traditional big four supermarkets in recent weeks [12 w/e 6 June 2023].
Asda’s own-label Just Essentials Thin Bleach 2l, for instance, rose by 20% from 50p to 60p on 17 April.
It then rose again on 4 May by 41.7% to 85p – a 90% price increase overall in the 12-week period.
Morrisons’ own-label M Savers Thin Bleach 2l, meanwhile, went up in price 19% from 42p to 50p on 3 April.
It increased again by 20%, from 50p to 60p, on 24 April – a 42.9% increase across 12 weeks.
Inflation has also hit some branded lines. Domestos Citrus Bleach 750ml, for example, grew 21.7% £1.15 to £1.40 in Tesco on 11 April.
It then went up 6.4% to £1.49 on 22 April – a 29.6% rise overall.
While Tesco advised that household bleach SKUs were available at a range of prices, neither Asda nor Morrisons had responded to requests for comment as The Grocer went to press.
A spokeswoman for Domestos said the brand was “experiencing significant increases in input costs”, but it always tried to “absorb as much of the cost pressure ourselves before passing on pricing to consumers”.
Shelf prices were at the discretion of the retailer, she added.
The price increases for bleach in the mults follow last year’s global shortage of chlorine, which forced UK swimming pools to close over summer.
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