Wal-Mart Agrees To Sell Persil Laundry Brand In U.S. Market

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to become the exclusive carrier of Henkel AG's Persil brand of laundry detergent products in the United States. By selling the German brand, which Wal-Mart stores have been selling in markets outside the U.S., the retailer aims to strengthen its position against Procter & Gamble, maker of Tide detegents. Boosted by Tide, P&G holds 60 percent of retail sales in the U.S. laundry-detergent market and 85 percent of the profits. This dominance has enabled P&G to keep prices of its laundry products relatively higher than those of rival brands.