MEN’S grooming products firm King of Shaves is set to take on the might of Gillette with the launch of a new razor next week.

The firm, founded by Lowestoft entrepreneur Will King in 1993, will begin sales of its Azor 5 razor in Asda from January 25 – the same day industry leader Gillette launches its Fusion ProGlide in the UK after success in the United States.

Both firms’ razors boast five blades, thinner than those on previous razors in an attempt to reduce friction and improve comfort.

And while Gillette, the world’s leading shaving brand owned by US consumer products firm Proctor & Gamble, is expected to spend millions marketing the Fusion ProGlide in the UK, King of Shaves will be focusing on low-cost campaigns on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

The UK firm hopes its lower price will put it at an advantage; its price of �6.99 for a pack of six blades compares with �14.69 for six Fusion ProGlide blades on Amazon.co.uk.

After its launch in Asda, the Azor 5 will go on sale in Waitrose by the end of this month, with further roll-outs planned in Tesco and Boots stores by the beginning of March.

Will King, chief executive of King of Shaves, said the company would also be rolling out sales in the US under a distribution deal with personal care brand Remington,

“It will be very interesting to see what happens with our sales when we are competing fully in the US market,” he said.