Cleaning products maker Reckitt Benckiser tidies name, rebrands as simply Reckitt

(Reuters) - Cleaning products maker Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc said on Tuesday it would rebrand itself and be known simply as Reckitt, reflecting the latter's widespread usage.

Reckitt's cleaning products such as Lysol and Dettol have been top sellers during the COVID-19 pandemic and led the company to post record sales last year.

Despite the global popularity of its disinfecting products and other products such as Nurofen pain relief medication and Durex condoms, "there is less recognition of the company behind those brands," Jo Osborn, vice president of internal communications and corporate brand, said in a statement.

The new name "reflects the existing widespread usage of Reckitt and is clearer, simpler and more memorable," Osborn said.

The Reckitt Benckiser name came from the merger of Britain's Reckitt & Colman plc and Dutch company Benckiser NV in 1999, bringing brands such as Airwick freshener, Lysol cleaning products and Vanish detergent under one roof.

The new branding was chosen as it "evokes a sense of protection and a reference to the natural world," the company said in a statement.

The listed entity will still retain its Reckitt Benckiser Group corporate name.

The rollout of the new branding will take place over three years starting on Tuesday and will be implemented across all platforms internally and externally and in both physical and digital domains.

Reckitt Benckiser's shares were up 1.6% in afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale; Editing by Bernadette Baum)