The day Gillette disappeared and shaving became a challenge

For more than two decades, Saiful Alam, 50, a senior executive at a private company, barely had to think about shaving. He began with Gillette's basic razor, moved to Mach3, and about five years ago settled on Gillette Fusion, a routine that stayed unchanged for years.

That routine broke down about six months ago.

Unable to find Fusion blades anywhere – from neighbourhood shops to supermarkets such as Swapno and Meena Bazar, even at Kawran Bazar's wholesale outlets – Alam has been forced to switch brands.

Now, he goes to a salon once a week, something he says he cannot remember doing before.

Infograph: TBS

"I've been looking for Fusion blades for months," Alam said. "I checked everywhere in Dhaka. This week, when I heard a friend was travelling to India, I asked him to bring a few blades for me."

Alam's experience reflects a wider disruption facing urban consumers as Procter & Gamble (P&G), the US multinational behind Gillette, disappeared from Bangladesh's shelves last year, leaving millions of loyal users scrambling for alternatives.

P&G entered Bangladesh nearly three decades ago and built a strong consumer base with brands such as Gillette, Oral-B, Whisper, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Ariel and Tide. While substitutes exist for most of these products, Gillette razors, particularly Mach3 and Fusion blades, have proven harder to replace.

Retailers said many customers initially refused to believe the brand had vanished.

"Customers search multiple stores across Dhaka," said Khandaker Nur-e-Borhan, chief executive officer of Agora. "They come back and say, 'Okay, now we believe there's a real crisis.'"

Informal imports fill the gap

P&G announced its exit from Bangladesh in September 2024, following the termination of its distribution arrangement with Gillette India. 

The decision took effect on 31 December, after which P&G ended its contract with International Brands Limited (IBL), a subsidiary of MGH Group, its sole distributor in Bangladesh.

Although P&G said IBL could continue importing and selling its products independently, the plan did not work.

"We tried importing products like Gillette and Head & Shoulders from Bangkok and Dubai," said a senior MGH Group official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But it wasn't financially viable. Informal importers – posing as travellers – bring in products without paying taxes, making legitimate imports uncompetitive."

When MGH was P&G's authorised distributor, port authorities were notified that any imports by others would be considered illegal. "That protection is no longer there," the official added.

Dollar crisis worsens shortages

Industry insiders said the problem runs deeper than P&G's exit.

According to Ashraf Bin Taj, managing director of International Distribution Company (IDC), supply disruptions for imported consumer goods began in 2022, triggered by the dollar crisis and sharp depreciation of the taka.

"What started as a temporary shock has now become a structural contraction," he said, citing import restrictions, LC limits, higher duties, customs valuation issues and the continued weakening of the taka. "Non-essential imports were deprioritised, and the impact has spread across the entire consumer ecosystem."

Consumer habits Shift

Consumers said the disruption has reshaped daily shopping habits.

Reshma Ara, a resident of Gulshan, said she now visits four or five supermarkets to find a single lotion. "Most brands just aren't available anymore," she said.

Another shopper, Sharmin Haque, said some products appear online but are either overpriced or remain out of stock for weeks.

Retailers acknowledge a visible shift in behaviour.

"Many customers are loyal to specific foreign brands and keep coming back for them," said Abid Hasan, manager at Unimart Gulshan. "Local alternatives exist, but a lot of shoppers simply don't want to switch."

Agora data shows that imported products now account for about 30% of its sales, down from 45% three years ago, with cosmetics, grooming and skincare among the hardest-hit categories.

P&G's entry and exit

P&G entered Bangladesh in 1994 through a distributorship agreement with MGH Group. In 2021, it expanded its presence by starting local manufacturing with PRAN, investing $1 million to produce low-cost Gillette razors. 

However, by September 2024, the company abruptly terminated its distribution agreements – first with Gillette India, then with MGH Group. The partnership officially ended on 31 December, and production at PRAN's APCL facility has remained suspended since January 2024.

PRAN Managing Director Ilyas Mirdha said the factory is fully equipped but idle. "Our factory is ready. Machines are ready. But P&G paused production. We will resume only when they approve," he explained.