how come 2 premium competitors having rights for production
Hi Dejan,
I've been wondering the same thing for a long while. I'm not sure about all the ins and outs of it. All I know is that Lever Bros. (now unilever) acquired the rights to the Persil name in the UK, Ireland and France in 1931. Since then, the 2 formulas have been different.
In other countries, Unilever use the UK Persil Formula for Omo.
Funilly enough, Persil was never Lever's best selling brand until more recently, despite being "the original" brand of detergent. Rinso was their best seller and after it was discontinued for declining sales, Surf was launched and also became a best seller, until Persil took over (presumably between the 50's and 60's as twin tubs were becoming increasingly popular).
The brand "Persil" has always been associated as a top product, regardless of the formula. I think the rights to the name may have something to do with the association and reputation of the brand rather than the actual stuff in the box. Not that Persil isn't good by any means, but I think a lot of people buy it purely on it's reputation. If Omo was sold in the UK again, despite being the same formula, I don't think it would sell as well as Persil.
Hope this helps. Maybe someone else will be able to shed some more light on the situation.
Chris