Procter & Gamble to exit Pakistan, Gillette faces possible delisting
This move comes months after P&G unveiled a global restructuring program in June, which included plans to reduce its brand portfolio and cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years.
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Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), consumer goods giant known for brands such as Tide, Pampers, Ariel, Head & Shoulders, and Pantene, has announced it will discontinue its operations in Pakistan, marking the latest retreat by a multinational from the country amid mounting economic and business challenges.
In an official statement, P&G confirmed it will wind down both its manufacturing and commercial activities in Pakistan, including its razors division, Gillette Pakistan Ltd. The company added that it will continue serving consumers in the region through third-party distributors. Employees affected by the decision will be offered overseas placements or separation packages.
This move comes months after P&G unveiled a global restructuring program in June, which included plans to reduce its brand portfolio and cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years. The company also revised its financial guidance in response to increasing trade tariffs and slowing consumption trends.
Gillette Pakistan’s financial performance had deteriorated significantly, with revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025 nearly halving compared with two years ago when it reached a record three billion rupees. In response to P&G’s exit announcement, Gillette Pakistan’s shares surged by the 10% daily limit, hitting a three-week high. The company plans to convene a board meeting shortly to consider steps for discontinuation, including a potential delisting from the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
P&G’s decision highlights a broader trend of multinational companies scaling back operations in Pakistan amid challenging market conditions, including restrictions on profit repatriation and weak domestic demand. In recent years, Shell Plc, Pfizer Inc., TotalEnergies SE, and Telenor ASA have all reduced their presence or sold off stakes in the country. P&G itself sold its soap manufacturing facility in Pakistan to Nimir Industrial Chemical Ltd. last year.
Since entering the Pakistani market in 1991, P&G expanded to become one of the nation’s leading consumer-goods firms. The company strengthened its local footprint through a soap plant acquisition in 1994 and a detergent facility in 2010. Over the decades, its brands became household names, shaping the country’s consumer landscape.
“The company has decided a third-party distribution model is the most prudent way to continue serving consumers in Pakistan at this time,” P&G said in its statement.
As the company winds down operations, the future of Gillette Pakistan and its listing status remains under review, with the parent company’s global restructuring program driving key decisions in the months ahead.
