The hygienic products business unit of CMPC, Softys, acquired 100% of shares of Papelera Panamericana.
Softys – a subsidiary of Chile’s CMPC, focused on the hygienic and healthcare products business and with operations in eight countries, including Argentina, Mexico and Peru – acquired 100% of the shares of the Arequipa paper company for US $ 14 million. . The holding CMPC has among its portfolio brands such as Elite, Nova and Babysec and according to Euromonitor information it has a 32.5% market share.
The Peruvian company is the leader in Arequipa -with more than 60% of the market share- and in the southern region of the country. They have within their portfolio the brands of Ideal and Ego toilet paper, Tess napkins and roll coils. At the end of 2017, the firm reported revenues of more than S / 48 million, which compared to the previous year represented an expansion of 6.4%. In this period, the south of the country contributed with 81% of the turnover, while Lima contributed 14%.
Alberto Muñoz-Nájar, general director of Papelera Panamericana, indicated in October 2017 at SEMANAeconómica that the Ideal brand was aimed at socioeconomic levels B and C; while with Ego they point to levels D and E. “Since toilet paper is a basic product, brand loyalty is not generated. If the consumer does not find a specific brand, buy the one that is available. Therefore, distribution plays an important role. We have our own distributor in Arequipa and we work with third parties in the other regions, “he explained.