The multinational Kimberly-Clark will immediately remove the Kleenex brand from the shelves in Canada. In many stores it is already difficult to get the product.
The company says it will stop selling Kleenex domestically due to the “unique complexity” of the production.
A notice to consumers has been posted on the company’s website.
“Thank you for your decades of loyalty to the Kleenex® brand facial tissue. “We are grateful that you have welcomed us into your home and we want you to know how difficult it was for us to complete our sales in Canada,” we read on the website.
Screenshot from the Kimberley Clark website
Other Kimberly-Clark products include Kleenex professional facial care products specifically designed for the corporate market, Kleenex consumer towel products, as well as other Kimberly-Clark brands including Cottonelle, Viva, U by Kotex, Poise, Depend, Huggies, Pull- Oops and Goodnites remain in the Canadian market.
“We operate in a very limited supply environment and, despite our best efforts, face unique complexities in the Kleenex industry,” said Todd Fisher, Kimberly-Clark’s vice president and Canadian general manager, in a statement to CTV News.
The company said its decision to exit the consumer paper business in Canada “would allow us to reallocate our resources to better focus on other brands in Canada and meet the needs of our consumers with innovation and continued value.” .
Kleenex were first sold in 1924. At that time, a pack of 100 sheets cost 65 cents. The product was initially sold as a type of wipe for removing make-up or cream from the face. People used them as disposable handkerchiefs back then.