A major tissue manufacturer announced yesterday that it would raise prices by between 8 percent and 10 percent later this month in response to rising materials costs.
Kimberly-Clark Taiwan, manufacturer of tissues under the brand name Sujay (
This means that a 12-box package of tissues will cost NT$149, up from NT$139, and a six pack of toilet paper will cost NT$109, up from NT$99, Kimberly-Clark Taiwan said.
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Kimberly-Clark Taiwan's major rival Yuen Foong Yu Paper Co (
"As tissues are a staple product, we would rather not to cause panic among the public [by raising prices]," said Juliana Liu (
However, the retail prices -- or "special prices" marked next to the original price tags of her company's toilet paper and facial tissues on sale in hypermarkets have been raised by 10 percent to 15 percent since the Lunar New Year holidays in late January.
Saying that the increase was unavoidable, Liu said the frequencies of her companies special offers have also been reduced, meaning that "the scope for price cuts has narrowed."
Another industry player, Cheng Loong Corp (正隆), which produces Andante (春風) tissues, said it would adopt a wait-and-see approach to raising prices.
"If the market responds well to Kimberly-Clark Taiwan's price hike, we do not rule out the possibility of following suit," said Suanne Cheng (鄭舒云), Cheng Loong's spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, the nation's three major hypermarket chains -- Carrefour Corp Taiwan, RT-Mart (
Brenda Yen (
"However, I did see more people turn up to pick up tissues today [yesterday]," she said.
Apart from tissues, Yen said rice, cooking oil, sugar and flour might be among the products included in the next wave of price increases, as suppliers have repeated demanded price hikes since late March.
Inflation, however, is not yet a concern, said Chu Yun-peng (朱雲鵬), head of National Central University's Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development.
"We don't have to worry about inflation unless prices continue to rise for another three to six months," Chu said.
The nation's consumer price index (CPI) is predicted to climb 0.83 percent this year, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics reported yesterday.
The CPI climbed 1.12 percent last month from March, representing the biggest gain in 13 months, the agency said last week. The figure was 0.93 percent up from the same period last year, it added.
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