March 23 (Reuters) - Cleaning products maker Reckitt
Benckiser Group Plc said on Tuesday it would rebrand
itself and be known simply as Reckitt, reflecting the latter's
widespread usage.
Reckitt's cleaning products such as Lysol and Dettol have
been top sellers during the COVID-19 pandemic and led the
company to post record sales last year.
Despite the global popularity of its disinfecting products
and other products such as Nurofen pain relief medication and
Durex condoms, "there is less recognition of the company behind
those brands," Jo Osborn, vice president of internal
communications and corporate brand, said in a statement.
The new name "reflects the existing widespread usage of
Reckitt and is clearer, simpler and more memorable," Osborn
said.
The Reckitt Benckiser name came from the merger https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB933072239981903218
of Britain's Reckitt & Colman plc and Dutch company Benckiser
NV in 1999, bringing brands such as Airwick freshener, Lysol
cleaning products and Vanish detergent under one roof.
The new branding was chosen as it "evokes a sense of
protection and a reference to the natural world," the company
said in a statement.
The listed entity will still retain its Reckitt Benckiser
Group corporate name.
The rollout of the new branding will take place over three
years starting on Tuesday and will be implemented across all
platforms internally and externally and in both physical and
digital domains.
Reckitt Benckiser's shares were up 1.6% in afternoon
trading.
(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale;
Editing by Bernadette Baum)
