Oxy RB sales halve as boycott expands

Amid an escalating boycott nationwide, sales of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of a harmful humidifier sterilizer, have plummeted by half from a year ago, local retailers said Tuesday.

According to data compiled by supermarket chains here, the sales of dehumidifiers and bleachers manufactured and marketed by the firm plunged 53 percent and 38 percent respectively for the April 18-May 1 period compared to the same period last year.

The household goods manufacturer, controlled by British firm Reckitt Benckiser, used to take up about half of the market shares of both products. But the sales of the two products as well as other Oxy RB items are likely to go down further, with retailers considering cancelling or reducing new orders in the face of widespread criticism of the company and themselves for distributing such harmful products.

The nation’s three major retailers also came under fire for offering discounts on Oxy RB products over the weekend despite the public outcry against the company and the widening investigation by the prosecution.

The supermarket chains reportedly promoted sales of household items including Oxy’s stain remover OxiClean, toilet-cleaning gel Easy Off Bang, fabric softener Cherie and closet repellent Thirsty Hippo. Their sales promotion included buy-one-get-one-free events and discounts, according to reports.

Lotte Mart, one of the major supermarket chains here, announced Tuesday that it would put a minimum amount of Oxy RB products on shelves, and stop placing new orders.

Emart, another discount chain, has already cut down new orders on Oxy RB products and pulled the products from display stands.

Local discount chains that had distributed toxic humidifier disinfectant said Tuesday that they would positively review a proposal by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser to work together on a joint compensation scheme.

In his first public apology, Ata Safdar, CEO of Reckitt Benckiser Korea, has asked other makers of similar products including Lotte Mart and Homeplus to jointly compensate victims. Of the 530 victims surveyed by the government, 220 were found to have used Oxy’s sterilizer while 184 purchased both Oxy’s and others.

Oxy released in 2001 the humidifier sterilizers that contain lethal chemicals blamed for the loss of at least 103 lives here. After acquiring Oxy in 2001, the British firm Reckitt Benckiser continued selling its products. Similar products were also released by other makers in the same year.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)