Innovation to fuel growth for Reckitt

Reckitt, a UK-based health and hygiene company, is betting on China to become its largest market in the future, as the company sees strong potential in the country's innovation-driven economy, the company's CEO said.

"Winning in China will help us win in other places around the world," said Kris Licht, chief executive officer of Reckitt Group, during an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"If you want to be a leading consumer health and hygiene company like us, I think you have to be very strong in China. Because this is one of the forefronts of development and innovation, and it allows us to lift those ideas to other markets," said Licht, adding that he's very passionate about wanting the company to play a leading role in China.

"What we have learned from operating in China now for many years is that this market does not stand still. So we will have to evolve, learn new things and make more investments," Licht said.

Reckitt officially opened its global science and innovation center in Shanghai on July 8. The 300 million yuan ($44.46 million) investment marked the company's long-term commitment to China, reinforcing the country's expanding role within Reckitt's global innovation ecosystem.

"China is a very innovative marketplace, very dynamic and moving very fast. So many things that we build and learn here can be brought to other markets. China is really an inspiration for many of our other businesses," Licht said.

"It's one of our global hubs and it's going to serve the Chinese market. We are going to innovate at China speed to serve Chinese consumers here and hopefully also lift some of the ideas and new products that originate from this center to other markets around the world," Licht noted.

Reckitt operates nine science and innovation centers worldwide, with its Shanghai hub serving as one of the group's largest and most important R&D centers. The Shanghai center combines deep consumer insights with advanced science and technology to develop solutions that meet the evolving needs of Chinese consumers while driving innovation across global markets.

Speaking about Shanghai's appeal, the CEO said the city is a dynamic hub for science and innovation with a deep talent pool, making it a natural choice for the company to establish one of its largest global R&D centers.

China is one of the three largest markets for Reckitt globally, and by far the company's fastest growing market.

"Considering the size of the market and the dynamic nature of the market, I think if you can compete and hone your skill set here, you can be successful in many markets," said Licht.

Having remained the world's second-largest consumer goods market and the largest online retail market for years, China saw its total retail sales of consumer goods reach 50.1 trillion yuan in 2025, surpassing the 50 trillion yuan mark for the first time, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The growth was mainly driven by improvements in the market supply system, steady income growth among urban and rural residents, the continued unlocking of consumer demand and expanding retail sales, the report stated.

While Reckitt is a global company, its Chinese business has become "a powerhouse" based in Shanghai, the CEO said. "China is the fastest growing market and it is a growth engine for Reckitt and I think that will continue for a long time," he added. China has become one of Reckitt's largest markets with more than 20 of the company's brands currently available in the country. Since 1995, the company has opened two main offices in Beijing and Shanghai, and three manufacturing facilities in China, with Shanghai being the company's operations headquarters in China.