Flora Tissue

One of Sri Lanka’s leading brands in soft disposable tissue paper since its conception in 1983, Flora Tissue is the flagship brand of Pee Bee Management Services. Gaining Superbrand status in 2012, the brand lays claim to a substantial 60 percent market share in Sri Lanka at present.

Taking pride in being the only brand in the soft disposable tissue products category to have most of its product portfolio certified by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), Flora Tissue is committed to continuously improving the quality of its products and customer service.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed market dynamics; yet being an agile brand, Flora Tissue has faced these challenges through a robust crisis communications plan, which has helped alleviate the impact to a great extent.

This has enabled the company to rise above the brand’s short-term dip in revenue for financial year 2020/21, which mainly stemmed from the hospitality sector’s nonperformance, and the general public’s absence in public places such as malls, restaurants and supermarkets.

The company’s performance has improved since the first quarter of 2021 due to the high consumer demand for hygiene products like paper towels and serviettes, and facial tissues, given their trust in the brand to be quality focussed and reliable.

In recent times, the brand has enjoyed increased sales from modern and retail trade due to greater concerns among the general public regarding personal hygiene, which has been encouraged by health authorities’ guidelines. Here again, the brand’s ability to withstand this change facilitated the company’s speedy turnaround.

Brand loyalty is a key success factor for Flora Tissue as well as Pee Bee Management Services as a whole. The ethos behind the company’s brand building is driven by its goal to enhance customer satisfaction while building consumer loyalty.

The company has engaged in brand building endeavours by analysing consumer behaviours and trends, and thereby fulfilling the demand from local consumers who have patronised the brand for more than three decades with continuous and steadfast loyalty.

The loyalty garnered by Flora Tissue revolves around product quality, reasonable pricing, extensive distribution and creating awareness.

For example, the brand’s islandwide distribution ensures that products are available in retail shops, pharmacies and grocery stores across the country at prices that are affordable to the average Sri Lankan consumer.

Furthermore, the brand has considerable potential for growth in the future due to increased consumer demand and Sri Lanka’s per capita consumption of tissues being low compared to global trends. Flora Tissue aims to increase its market share by 10 percent – and achieve a market share of 70 percent – in the near future by introducing line extensions.

The company has invested in upgrading and increasing its production capacity and infrastructure. Pee Bee Management Services has transformed its manufacturing plant into a modern and fully fledged production, storage and distribution facility – one that can meet future local and overseas demand – spanning 70,000 sq ft in the Katuwana Industrial Zone in Homagama.

Proactively identifying a vacuum for disposable paper cups in the market, the company recently invested in a paper cup manufacturing plant that will expand its product portfolio while helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Pee Bee Management Services is also introducing a line of tissue paper dispensers for the corporate sector including multifold paper towel dispensers, jumbo toilet tissue paper roll dispensers, auto cut hands free paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers and hands free dustbins.

In terms of the bigger picture, the company’s mission is to educate the general public – especially in Sri Lanka’s small towns – on the importance of general and personal hygiene.

Banking on its longstanding brand presence in the local market, and its pioneering position in the soft disposable tissue paper sector in Sri Lanka, Flora Tissues is determined to succeed beyond the domestic market, and venture into regional markets in South Asia and other territories.

The brand has a well-defined extension plan in place, which incorporates a marketing strategy that involves many aspects of personal hygiene suitable for all age groups.

This plan is connected to consumer needs, emotions and competitive environments, enabling the brand to sustain and increase its market share, by delivering its promise of qua-
lity and value for money products.

Kishore Surtani
Managing Director

www.floratissues.com